


Agent Drift: Uprise

by malotofv



Series: Agent Drift: Uprise [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015), supercorp - Fandom
Genre: AgentCorp, Alternate Canon, Angry Kara Danvers, Dead Alex Danvers, Drunk Alex Danvers, Drunken Confessions, F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Game of Thrones References, Gay Mess Lena Luthor, Gen, Heavy Drinking, Kara Danvers Angst, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Lena Luthor-centric, Mental Health Issues, Minor Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Protective Alex Danvers, Protective Moms, SuperCorp, Supercorp baby, Teenage Drama, alex danvers is a mom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-01-06 17:38:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 74,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18393179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malotofv/pseuds/malotofv
Summary: Alex never thought of Lena that way, yet she took her son's advise just to shut him up and unintentionally putting the Luthor heiress in 13 years of deeper shit.Elly Danvers had no idea that he was composed of half-Kryptonian and half-Luthor DNA. His anger and hatred starts to creep in after finding out about his own superpowers only a few minutes too late from saving a loved one's life. Now, he seeks revenge. Will his Luthor genes shine through?orMostly AgentCorp fluff and a dash of SuperCorp angst where Alex loses her cool, Lena shows her (mama bear) attitude, Kara (almost) loses it, Nia saw it coming (but did nothing?), Brainy is not a double agent, J'onn is a SuperPops and James is the cool uncle.Elly is growing up yet still as adorable and he has three moms.





	1. Deep Blue Eyes and Glossy Pink Lips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Supergirl thought it was another bad day, a new hero emerges. Who would've thought that someone with glossy pink lips is gonna lend her a helping hand?

 

_WEEWEEWEEWEEWEEW!!!_

In the heat of the midday in downtown National City, a security alarm from an old pawnshop filled the air. The siren went off when a small glass display casing that was standing quietly in the middle of the establishment, have been illicitly opened.

"Hey! Caretaker! I thought you already took care of this?!?"

A lean-built guy with gray hair and in his late twenties yelled at the comms attached on his left wrist. Well-drawn, colorful tattoos covered his left arm, while a dark stocking over his head covered his face. He turned around to scan the whole shop, trying to find where the sound of the alarm was coming from. A large canvas laundry bag full of jewelries, handheld weapons and small boxes of high-tech gadgets rests behind his back.

A big man beside him about seven feet tall, wore the same, almost useless, dark stocking that was stretched thinly over his face started to move faster. His shiny bald head, broad shoulders, puffy chest and beefy arms made him look like one of those wrestlers on TV. With his bare hands, he broke the glass shelves lined on the walls open and shoved everything he sees inside a laundry bag in his hands, while another full bag hung over his shoulder.

_"I did! Perhaps you touched something you're not supposed to? I thought you understood my instructions?"_ A voice over the comms responded.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?!?" The guy with gray hair asked while panic started creeping in under his skin. Or maybe it wasn't panic? Because there was a wide smile across his face, eyes wide and glimmering with excitement.

_"You're The Runner! You tell me." blip_ The voice suddenly died.

"Hey big guy, start the car! Cap! We gotta run now!"

The big guy acted right away and darted out the front of the pawnshop without stopping. Hence, consecutively breaking two doors with a loud smash, spraying glass and oak out onto the sidewalk.

"What the-? Elmo!? Are you kidding me?!?"

The guy named Cap appeared behind the counter as he yelled in amusement over the blaring alarms. He didn't wore any stocking over his face. Instead, a layer of thin, full-face beard covered half of his face while guns and weapon of sorts hung around his waist and strapped all over his body, hidden underneath his long sleeveless leather coat. He wore a dirty white tank top under it, a pair of tight ripped jeans and matching combat boots. A hand-script  _Chelsea_  was inked on his right arm, decorating his greasy, tanned and toned arms.

"Bulletproof, but not Wall-proof! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Elmo laughed, as he hurried to the shiny silver gray Tesla parked right in front of the shop only to smash it's window, open the door and push his bulky body into the driver's seat. He looked around the dashboard as if looking for the keys when he suddenly remembered something. "Uhh...Caretaker?" He said over his comms.

Back inside the pawnshop, The Runner and the guy called Cap scrambled while they snigger like guiltless teenage troublemakers trying not to get caught on their way out. But Cap noticed the medieval designed necklace box that was sitting inside the glass display casing that The Runner opened but decided not to take. The moment he took it, the alarms blared louder, only piquing his curiosity and adding a wider smile across his face. When he opened the box, his smile along with his eyes grew bigger, as green light peeked out of it and glowed on his bearded face.

 

* * *

 

 

Inside a dark room somewhere else deep below the city, about a dozen monitors were mounted on a wall showing different parts of National City. Along with it was a neon sign of a wand with stars coming out it's end and reads "Ollivander's". Two of the monitors displayed the news in multiple windows, others rendered the city roads and traffic. One played a Sci-fi movie of some sort in full-screen while another monitor played random cat videos on YouTube, that made someone in the room chuckle.

"What? Oh, sorry..."

A small voice came out of the hooded figure that was sitting in front of the monitors. Its fingers flew across the keyboard to type in a command before pressing Enter. "There!" Grabbing an unusually large cup of drink from the desk, it leaned it's back and comfortably swiveled on it's ergonomic chair while slurping loudly from the cup.

" _Thanks!"_

Elmo's voice was heard from it's earpiece after the sound of a car engine starting.

 

* * *

 

 

Back to the old pawnshop while Cap, Elmo and The Runner sped out of the parking slot, their getaway car suddenly came to an unexpected halt, causing their faces to stick to the windshield after a full impact of hitting something solid with the front bumper.

"I left my shrimp dumplings for this." Supergirl hissed.

The Kryptonian furiously pulled the driver's door out of it's hinges. "Hey, I know you!" She took a surprised Elmo by the collar to take a closer look at him. There was a big hole on the stretched stocking on his face, showing off his large nose and half of his face.

"Big Bird? No." She pulled the big guy out and threw him like a Frisbee out of the car and into a dumpster across the street, crushing it flat with his huge body like a soda can. "Hmm...definitely not Oscar." Supergirl inferred.

Elmo instantly jumped back up, unscathed and completely unaffected by the impact. "The Wall!" He yelled as his muscles suddenly grew bigger, tearing the sleeves of his shirt apart. "AAAAARGH!!!" He thundered as he ran to meet Supergirl with his fist.

"Huh." The blonde hero snorted half-impressed and half-disgusted. "You give Elmo a bad name, you know?" She replied, refusing to disappoint and charged to meet him halfway with her fist in full force. "GRAAAH!!!" She roared as she pinned her fist against his in a surprisingly equal strength. The impact caused the asphalt pavement to crack and blew her hair and cape away.

 

* * *

 

About a decade ago, Elmo was already one of the best underground fighters in the country at the tender age of sixteen. As big, young and strong as he was, he stayed undefeated for years, spreading fame and fear, attracting both trouble and women wherever he went. He was known in the underground as El Mural, until he was paid a hundred grand to fight someone who turned out to be injected with the Harun-El serum. Elmo had no idea what that meant at the time but he agreed with overflowing confidence, nonetheless.

That day, he thought he was already dead when the crowd cheered around him as he fell like a spineless rag doll on the wet floor. He was sure that his bones were broken and his ribs were shattered, remembering exactly how every inch of his body throbbed and wailed when he coughed out and swallowed what seemed like gallons of his own blood. The fight was over in seconds. Stakes have been paid, the crowd was long gone and he was left for dead on the cold concrete and waiting for his last breath. That's when he suddenly heard footsteps and saw a blurry figure of a tall woman towering over him.

"What a waste." She sighed with a deep, cold voice as she looked down on him. "Can you speak?" She asked.

There was no answer. His jaws refused to move and even a light grunting sound, he can no longer seem to make. He only blinked at her.

The lady hummed. "Blink twice if you want to live and work for me."

Elmo didn't have the time or the strength to think. He didn't even know who this woman was or why she's talking about hiring him, given the ridiculous situation. What he knew was that, he was too young to die and blinking twice was the only thing left in the world he can do before passing out. Besides, there weren't any other options to choose from. And so, he did.

"Very well." The woman said, before squatting by his side and injecting something right in the middle of his chest. "Welcome to Cadmus."

 

* * *

 

  
Elmo's lips broke into a satisfied smile as he swung his other arm to give Supergirl another blow. The Kryptonian had her game face on, determined to finally defeat the enormous man before her. Despite a rumbling stomach, she counters his punch with all her might, releasing another gust of wind before using her heat vision almost the same time to blind her enemy.

"AAAAARRRGGGHHH!!!!" Elmo howled in agony with the stench of his own burning skin filling his nose. By the looks of it, his eyelids and eyeballs have melted together.

"You're not getting away this time." Supergirl muttered in gritted teeth.

She had been chasing this man for years and he kept getting away. But before she could even say or do anything else, her knees suddenly buckled and dropped to the ground. Something hard and cold had been tightly wrapped around her neck, choking her and making it impossible for her to breathe.

"Wow! I can't believe you didn't recognize me blondie!" Cap smirked behind her. "That necklace looks good on you, by the way. You can keep it!" He laughed sheepishly as he ran back to the doorless getaway car. "Elmo! You know your way out? See you at dinner!" His laughter echoed as he hopped on the passenger seat while The Runner drove the car away. The police siren was heard in the distance, only a few minutes after that.

Supergirl struggled to remove the strip of metal around her neck as she failed to gasp for air. Every inch of her body burned as if her blood was boiling. The veins at the back of her hands slowly doodled thick dark lines, threatening to burst and begging to get out of her skin. She tugged with all the strength she has left but her head started spinning, and everything she sees turned darker. A grinder or a chainsaw would definitely come in handy at this time.

Elmo on the other hand was still on his knees. He grunted in pain, catching his breath with his hands over his blinded eyes by heat vision. But then, he slowly removed his hands and let the afternoon sun shine upon his half-burnt face. After every deep breath he took, the burn in his eyes started to heal.

Supergirl heard Elmos' heartbeat and breathing slowly going back to normal. And despite seeing a dark screen in front of her eyes, she witnessed how his eyeballs molded back to normal and he was blinking again. She heard him snigger a little, but didn't get to see his face because blue and purple lines started to appear on her vision, the more she tried to blink them away.

Suddenly, she heard a soft gush of wind then grunting and punching. One, two, maybe four or more? The impact from the punches weren't as strong as hers but they were firm and precise, solidly hitting its target. Elmo grunted in pain, over and over and over until his large body hits the ground with a loud thud. Supergirl listened carefully, as her head throbbed and gets heavy by the second.

"And the wall has fallen! Wooh!" Cheered a young female voice nearby.

Supergirl was about to fall flat on her face when she felt a gentle tug around her neck. Then suddenly, as if angels started to sing while they descended down from the heavens, her lungs rejoiced as they welcomed a humongous amount of oxygen inside once again. "Thangs!" She said, still on her knees and in the middle of sucking in all the air she could get for the second time. A pair of handcuffs landed on the cracked pavement in front of her just inches away from her knees. They looked similar with the power-dampening ones used by the DEO from before but better.

She looked up to see a teenage girl standing only a few feet away from her. With blonde hair brushed down to her shoulders and glimmered like gold in the sun. The young girl wore a dark gray and red lined suit with long curled lashes, deep blue eyes and glossy pink lips.

"Now, secure The Wall, sister!" The young blonde winked before giving her a two-finger salute and turned to run.

"Who you?!?" Supergirl blurted out, being all that she could say under her failing breath.

"Drift!" The girl called before taking a huge leap, hopping on top of the nearest building and one after another and out of sight.

Supergirl blinked as the effects of the green kryptonite waned. She looked at the handcuffs in front of her, snatched it before standing up with her knees back in full strength, only to find Elmo lying face down on the pavement and completely unconscious.

She handcuffed his hands behind him and out of curiosity, she used her X-ray vision to scan him internally. His heart was still beating and his breathing was normal. Nothing seemed to be broken or out of place.

_Interesting_. She wondered skeptically what exactly happened in those brief seconds. How could it be possible for a big guy like him be turned into a punching bag by a teenage girl that was only half his size?

A military police unit finally arrived on the scene seconds later, to secure the area and bring one of the most-wanted man, in. The commanding officer immediately gestured his men to carry the largest member of the so-called terrorist group, Rad Squad. It took about fourteen men to carry him, more like dragged him to the truck, and hitting his head on the rear bumper twice when they attempted to lift him up.

"Great work, guys keep it up!" Supergirl praised as she watched them do their jobs.

"Thank you, Supergirl. We have one down, finally." The Commander stated as he offered to shake her hand.

She shook his hand gently with a sigh and nodded. "Please, make sure this guy won't get out this time, Officer. For real. And don't thank me, a girl named Drift took care of him today." She turned to leave, remembering the dumplings waiting for her return. The officer blinked, trying to make sense of what Supergirl just said.

  _Drift, huh?_ She wondered as she took off.

 

* * *

 

"Lighthouse, this is Gray. Did you see that?" Drift was smiling proudly to herself while she hopped on top of the skyscrapers and savored the wind against her face. She was breathing heavily as if trying to keep up with her heart, still racing.

_"You did great, Gray! It went exactly as planned. How are you feeling?"_

"Lit AF! It was so worth the wait!" Drift almost shrieked. "Thanks!"

The voice over the comms laughed. _"Good to hear. Head back to base as soon as you can."_

"Roger that."

 

 

 


	2. Deep Blue Eyes and Glossy Pink Lips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elly was having a peaceful afternoon with his friends when explosions caused panic around National City. The situation left them heading their way back home through a part of the city they've never been in.

 

  
"Go inside and hide somewhere safe! I'll come and get you as soon as I get back!"

Kara said as she stood up from her chair as sirens blared in the distance. _That's my cue._

"There's a narrow alley nearby that leads straight to Krypton Park." Larry suggested as the three boys followed.

"That's near my house!" Elly exclaimed.

"Mine too!" Razz added.

 _Elly is already nine and Razz is two years older. They can make it_. Kara thought. "Okay, then go! Stay together and call Alex when you get home!" She told Elly clearly.

"Be careful!" Elly nodded.

"You too, Dumpling." Kara planted a quick kiss on top of Elly's head as Larry leads the boys towards the alley. "Go! Go!"

 

It was a fine Thursday afternoon. Elly invited Razz and their new friend Larry for after-school ice cream with his Aunt Kara. Larry wore ripped jeans and a trucker cap under a brown hoodie and by the looks of it, he's been wearing it for a days. They were sitting on a table in front of Tony's Truck, only halfway on their ice creams and in the middle of telling Kara how they met Larry in an intense but friendly game of chess by the park a few weeks ago, when four explosions around the city suddenly echoed in the distance - one after another.

 

"Razz! Hurry!"

Elly, Razz and Larry runs along with the crowd in panic. There had been explosions nearby, causing fires and thick smoke rising up into the sky. Thay ran to the other direction, as far away and as fast as their tiny legs could carry them.

"Why did she ran towards the explosion?! She got a death wish or something?!?" Larry yelled over the honking cars.

"She's a reporter! Death wish is a requirement!" Elly smiled as they ran.

"Is she gonna be okay?!" Razz asked as he caught up panting.

"She's a badass like my mom!" Elly yelled back in reply.

"Jelly, this way!" Larry yelled taking a quick turn in an empty narrow alley lined with rusty dumpsters, when Elly almost missed the turn as they ran.

They bumped onto each other and almost stumbled on the ground as they had to stop abruptly when Larry suddenly yanked a manhole open that was somewhat hidden behind a yellow dumpster. "Quick, get in!"

"Ew! No! That's a sewer!" Elly backed off and covered his nose as the strong smell of mixed urine and feces filled his brain, making him feel a little dizzy, along with the sound of yelling people over the blaring car alarms nearby.

"Oh, come on, you wussy! You wanna get home quickly and unscathed or what?" Larry's voice was muffled under the cuff of his brown hoodie that he was using to cover his nose.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Razz asked while trying to catch his breath underneath his shirt and exchanged suspicious looks with Elly as they looked around while a thin crowd of people ran past the alley.

"Yes! And the smell disappears at the bottom!" Larry yanked on Razz's arm, almost pushing him down the hole so the little Asian boy had no other choice but to go in. "Go south! It leads to the park near your house!" Larry yelled after him. "You're next Telly, I'll shut it close."

"B-but it's..."

"Hurry! Before anyone sees us!"

Elly held his breath and started to climb down the hole.

"And where is south supposed to be down here?" Razz yelled out as he reached the middle of the ladder.

"To your left!" Larry yelled as he climbed down the ladder and closed the manhole shut as they descended about twenty feet below the city. He caught up with Elly, almost stepping on his hand. "Jesus, Kelly! You move like a girl!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I've never been in this part of the city before!" Elly answered while watching his own steps carefully and making sure he won't step on Razz's hand.

Larry laughed. "Nah. I'm just kidding. Am just messin' with yah."

Razz smirked as Elly rolled his eyes with a grunt. They all reached the bottom of the sewer, that was surprisingly dry and quiet. And true enough, the stench was only on the surface. The underground smelled more damp and earthy. It wasn't as dark as they thought it should be; there were yellow lamps lined on the ceiling and the afternoon sunlight was peeking through the drainage on the sides of the curb, and bounces off the slanted walls that were about eight feet high.

"Welcome to NCU." Larry started as he leads the way towards the park. "National City Underground."

"I feel like a ninja turtle." Razz had a smile on his face, admiring this part of the city as they walked.

"And the master is right behind us." Elly chuckled as he watched the smile on Razz's face disappear.

"Have you seen that movie with a clown holding a red balloon, peeking from inside the..."

"NO!?!?" Razz and Elly alarmingly yelled together even before Larry could finish the question. They both stopped in their tracks as they looked at him with horror.

Larry was taken aback by his new found friends' reactions also making him feel a bit threatened or scared of whatever he thinks that were all on their minds. "Same." He muttered. They exchanged worried looks before bursting with laughter. They cackled and sniggered as they walked, letting the echoes of their giggles drown their fears until they almost ran out of breath.

  
_____

  
It's a busy day for Supergirl and her friends. They made their way to the crime scene fast to help out, even before the DEO gets there. It has become a race with the agency since the President kicked Supergirl off the team, but it didn't stop the daughter of Krypton from doing her calling. She went straight to the north-east side of National City where she heard the first explosion that sent thick white smoke in the sky.

"Supergirl, status report?" Martian Manhunter asked over the comms as he hovers above the city to get a bigger view of the situation.

"This was the loudest one I heard, in an old abandoned building, isolated by wide spaces in a private property. The blast knocked the whole stucture down to the ground. No sign of any other serious casualties, only some debris that rained outside, scratching a few parked cars by the side of the road." Supergirl replied as she flew around the collapsed building.

"Good. Investigate the cause of explosion. Take a few samples but leave something for the DEO to analyse." Jonn commanded.

"I'm on it."

"Dreamer, what's your status?"

"The south-east explosion was in the shopping district. It happened in the middle of an almost empty parking lot. No casualties but I'll take a closer look. It could be a bomb." Nia reported.

"Good. You know the drill. And stay safe."

"Thanks, Pops." Nia smiled as she circled the parking lot filled with trash and pieces of torn dumpsters.

"Guardian? How is it from down there?"

Guardian covered the south-west explosion. He was on top of a nearby building looking down on the crime scene.

"South-west blast came from under the ground. It was right in the middle of a small city golf course, spewing out dirt and grass around the area and leaving a crater behind. I'll need to check if it's the gas pipes." James answered.

"Good. We need to move faster before the DEO arrives. I'm coming in."

Jonn flew towards the golf course as Guardian raises his arms in a horizontal line to release a pair of gliders from under his arms. He dove down the building and glided back up and down again until he landed swiftly near the crater on the golf course. Jonn arrived only a few seconds behind and went underground right away.

Brainy on the other hand, headed to the north-west area, where thick gray smoke came after the explosion. He brought along a team of agents and the Fire Department, to find an old food-processing factory burning down.

"Explosion in the north-west area caused fire in an abandoned factory. No other serious casualties, Fire Department already on the move, about ten minutes to fire out." Brainy reported over the DEO comms that was also discreetly extending a one way transmission to the Superfriends' radio.

  
_____

 

"There's no service down here." Elly said after a while, as he raised his phone around above his head trying to get a single bar of reception.

"Sorry, we're twenty feet under." Larry replied.

"So, how long before we reach the park?" Razz asked him.

"I'm not sure."

They heard a few more faint sirens above and the footsteps of people started to fade as they make their way into the underground sewers. They only took a few turns, going through smaller tunnels, but mostly just following a big one. It wasn't that long when Larry took a stop in front of another ladder and looked around.

"We're here." He said as he started to climb the rusty ladder.

The other two followed, and the next thing they know, they were standing on a walkway in a secluded part of Krypton Park, all drenched in rain water. Turns out, it was raining in that part of the city and water suddenly gushed in when Larry pushed the manhole open.

"Well that was unexpected." Larry said with a sigh as he looked down on his soaking wet hoodie.

"At least we made it safe." Elly said as he squeezed out water in the lower part of his shirt to wipe his glasses clean. He was glad that it was only rain water.

"I should probably go. My mom is definitely worried." Razz said. "Thanks, man." He gave Larry a soft pat on the back. "That was awesome." He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah? We should do that again, some time." Larry returned the pat as Razz waved goodbye.

"Bye, El. See yah!"

"See you at school!" Elly waved him goodbye as he watched him walk away.

Rain was still pouring but they didn't mind because they were already drenched in it. The park was empty. Elly and Larry started walking slowly when Elly suddenly asked his friend.

"How did you know about the sewers?"

"Well..." Larry paused and hesitated for a while. "I practically live in the streets." He sighed and waited for Elly's reaction but nothing came out of him so he continued. "The city is filled with cops so...I needed to know my way around."

Elly was quiet for a while as they strolled the sidewalk towards the Danver's apartment.

"That was really cool, man." Elly looked at Larry with a smile. "Are you hungry? I can make us a sandwich or something." He insisted.

"I need to check up on my..."

"Oh, come on. Are you scared of a sandwich?" Elly teased him. "Or maybe a change of clothes? You don't want the colds to catch you, yeah?" He could be annoyingly persistent at times. And mostly, it comes in handy.

"Nelly..."

"It's just a quick snack, man. For helping us get home fast and safe." Elly cut him even before he could say anything. He just won't take no for an answer.

Larry gave it a thought, looked behind their backs and around the neighbourhood before answering. "Alright, a quick snack perhaps."

"Peanut butter and jelly it is!"

  
_____

  
A black Ducati Monster roared into the street as Alex rode her bike back home as fast as she can. Elly's phone have been out of reach for the last hour though Kara said not to worry because he should be home by now. It wasn't confirmed yet but it was probably Captain Rad striking again, causing the explosions around the city. Given the situation, she can't help but worry about Elly. _He better be home._ She thought.

Her tires screeched on the wet pavement when she stepped on the breaks as she parked her bike perfectly beside a red Juke on a small parking space right across their apartment building. She hurried inside and into the elevator, still with her full helmet on.

 _Please be there, please be there._ Alex took off her helmet whispering to herself and her heart racing as the elevator slowly ascended, making her impatient for the doors to open again. And when it did, she felt like she almost flew to the door of her apartment and didn't know if she should feel relieved or more worried that it was already unlocked. She listened carefully and took three quick short breaths before going in.

A young boy in a soaking wet hoodie was standing near the kitchen counter and almost jumped when Alex burst through the door. _That is not my Elly._ She froze for a moment and blinked at the hooded boy.

"Am okay, I'm right here!" Elly yelled after hearing the door. He was standing by the bathroom door holding a white towel, his clothes also soaking wet.

 _Whew!_ Alex finally remembered how to breathe. She laid her helmet beside a smaller red one on top of the shoe shelf by the door and held a hand up to Elly as she allowed herself to catch her breath.

"This is my friend Larry. We play chess in the park with Razz. We were at Tony's with Aunt Kara when it happened." Elly seemed to know exactly what his mom was going to ask. "We went through the sewers on our way back here."

"Oh." Alex didn't notice the wet footprints all over the floor until now, that were also most probably outside the hallway.

"Hi." Larry waved a hand as Alex nodded at him. He seemed to be mesmerised by the lady in a black leather jacket, biker boots and deep red pixie haircut.

"I invited him over for a quick snack and...a change of dry clothes." Elly explained as he started taking his shirt off, revealing his young robust body and handed Larry the towel. "Told yah, she's pretty badass." He whispered to his friend with a wink and a smirk.

"You both should take a shower first." Alex suggested as she takes off her jacket and hang it on the rack by the door.

"Oh, yeah. You could go first while I make us some sandwiches." The young topless Danvers told his friend.

Larry shyly pursed his lips as he looked on the clean towel in his hand, onto his dirty soaking wet clothes and down to the little puddle he created on the floor.

"It's okay, I'll...take care of that." Alex lead him into the bathroom right away. "This way."

Elly smirked as Larry's ripped jeans made a squishing sound as he walked in. Alex stayed right by the door to take off her boots and called out to Elly, who was walking casually barefoot around the kitchen with only his red boxer briefs on.

"Hey cupid, you sure you don't want to join him?"

"He's a little shy." Elly said in a whisper, loud enough for Alex to hear as he laid down the strawberry jam and peanut butter jars on the counter. "Will you help him clean up?"

"Oh, okay."

"So...what was it?" Elly asks.

"Huh?" Alex wondered as she undo the buckles of her boot.

"The explosions? We heard four of them."

"Yeah, I...I'm not sure yet but we're about to find out." Alex answered.

"Let me guess...ah! Haley doesn't know you're here?"

"Excuse me?"

"You sneaked out of work again."

"Uhm...no?"

Elly's eyebrows did the talking, as if saying the word "Oh, really?" out loud.

"She knows where I am!"

"Because if she can't find you there, you're probably with me? Right."

"I have my responsibilities, little lord."

"If I was a teacher, and you were my student, I'll kick you out of my class." Elly gave her an unimpressed meh smile that was followed by a smirk. 

"That's savage! If I was a professor and I was the student, I would reconsider myself because single-parenting while working is not easy." She pointed out.

Elly blinked and raised his eyebrows, forming creases up in his forehead that was suddenly turned to a crinkle after realising how the it didn't make sense at all. "What? How can you be a student and a professor at the same time?"

"Exactly. Now will you dry your hair, please?" Alex smirked and threw him the white towel that Larry was holding earlier.

It hill Elly right in the face and he wrapped it around his head while sniggering in an effortless twist, exactly like how she taught him. "Ta-da! Happy?"

"You look like a naked Christmas elf." Alex chuckled before going back inside the bathroom.

"Ha-ha." Elly then followed her and peered inside the bathroom to check on his friend. "Give him a good scrub, ma!"

"Close the fucking door!" Larry yelled.

It clanged like a church bell in Alex's ears, making her jaw clench. "Language, please?"

"Sorry." Larry's heart was racing while slowly unzipping his grimy hoodie as Elly gently closed the door.

Alex smiled to herself in amusement. _Boys._ When she lifted the tracker cap over the boy's head, long messy locks of light brown hair fell down past his shoulders. Alex looked carefully at Larry's face and blinked as her eyes went wide. _Woah! What a..._

"Ooh, he's shy!" They heard Elly's teasing and his laugh right outside the bathroom.

"Oh. You're..." Alex almost gasped out loud and hurriedly locked the door. "You're a girl."

"Shh!" Larry shushed her silently as she puts a finger against her pale chapped lips. "Please don't tell him." Larry whispered, her eyes silently pleading as she swallowed and waited for the lady's response.

Alex turned the shower on, turning the hot and cold knobs accordingly. "Elly doesn't know?" She curiously asked.

Larry shook her head. "Your son is so nice to me and I really like him." She had this scared look in her eyes. "As a friend." She added.

Alex didn't realised that her mouth was open until she answered: "Well, okay." She sighed and made a gesture of zipping her mouth close. "Just because you asked nicely."

"Thanks." She takes off her drenched hoodie and was about to unbutton her ripped jeans when she hesitated. She scratched her nose subconciously.

"It's okay. What happens here, stays here. And we'll have your clothes washed in no time."

Larry took a deep breath before taking the rest of her clothes off. She wore a torn shirt under her hoodie and a stretched old boxer briefs under her ripped jeans. She was a little skinny, her ribs slightly showing under her pale skin. The stench from her clothes confirmed Alex's suspicion: she hasn't had any proper bath for days.

"And, thank you for bringing them home safely. Through the sewers?" Alex gestured the young girl to step into the warm shower.

"Yeah, I know my way around the city. It's the least I could do." Larry answered.

Once she stepped in, Alex pulled the shower curtains close. She gathered the dirty clothes on the floor, opened the door and yelled out to her son.

"Elly, sweetie? Will you please pop these into the washer for a quick spin? And bring a change of clothes for Larry too, please?"

"Hmmkay."

"Thank you!"

Larry heard them say.

Alex returned inside and locked the door, soon as she closed it. "So why keep it a secret?" She whispered to Larry as she drew the curtains open again.

"I'm...an alley cat so...it's safer, maybe?" It was the only truth she could say. "And it's way easier to make friends out of boys than girls, given the situation." She continued.

"Hm. Fair enough."

Alex was quiet the whole time she helped Larry take a bath. She shampooed, even used a handful of conditioner in her tangled hair, lathered, and scrubbed her arms and legs clean. She thought she heard her sniff once, but perhaps it was just the sound of water down the drain. _Or maybe the girl caught a cold from the rain?_ Oddly enough, Alex even found a few small bruises and scar marks all over the girl's body, some already healed while some looked new, especially at the back of her arms. She felt troubled for her but was more horrified when she saw an open burn wound, maybe two days old, on the upper side of her back just below her right shoulder that was as big as the size of a quarter. It looked like a tip of an arrow pointing to the left or a less-than sign. She examined the wound and Larry grunted when she tried to touch the surrounding skin, red and swollen. It wasn't that deep but it would definitely leave a scar when it heals.

"I'm gonna have to clean this too, alright?" Alex insisted and Larry just nodded. "Who did this to you?" Alex whispered. She can feel that the girl was a little nervous.

"Nobody." Larry muttered.

"There's nothing to be scared of, Larry. Whatever happens in this room stays here." She said calmly as she gently lathered the wound with soap.

Larry held her breath, trying to hide the stinging pain from the soap and water getting inside her open wound. "Like I said, I spend most of my time in the streets. I stumble and fall all the time."

Alex stayed quiet, waiting for the girl to talk some more. But Larry turned around to face her, a pair of deep hazel-brown eyes looking right at her.

"I'm not a bad person, Mrs. Danvers. Please don't ask anymore questions."

"Oh-kay." Alex decided not to push it any further. She knows exactly how girls and their attitude could be sometimes. "Why don't you join us for dinner, then? I'll order in some pizza while Elly takes a shower."

 _She sounded just like him._ "I can't stay long. My grandma is probably waiting for me." Larry swallowed at the sound of pizza. "But thanks." She added.

  
________

 

"Status report?" A deep husky voice of a man was heard over the comms.

"The test run was a success, Captain. They came out exactly as you predicted." Another male voice answered.

"Excellent. The boss will be very happy. You think they got the message?"

"Not yet. But they will, soon enough. And when they do, we'll know."

"We've been waiting for too long and it's not fair that we're the only ones who know where they are." The Captain broke into a laugh.

"Captain, I have the lineup for the Caretaker position." A female voice suddenly interrupted.

"Prepare them for a series of tests, will you? May the best man win."

"Roger that."

 

_____

 

  
"Look what a shower could do? Wow! You look like a girl, Larry!" Elly chuckled playfully as he took a bite off a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that he made.

"Shut up, Felly. Have you seen yourself in the mirror?" He snapped back at him with a smirk. He looked and smelled better, and way cleaner than a while ago, with his long hair dried and Alex tied into a neat top knot. He was wearing Elly's Sesame Street sweatshirt and a pair of dark gray pants.

"Am just messing with ya. Help yourself." Elly gestured on a small pile of PB&J sandwich and a glass of cold milk was waiting on the kitchen counter. His friend's clothes already clean and dry, properly folded on the coffee table by the couch. "Looks good on you, by the way." He eyed on his friend and the clothes he was wearing. "Keep it." He took another bite from his sandwich and drank some milk from his own glass.

"Thanks." Larry just smiled weakly and hesitated to take a sandwich. "I should go. Someone's waiting for me at home."

Elly paused and blinked. He looked at his mom who just shrugged by the bathroom door.

"I asked him to stay for dinner, but..." Alex told him.

"Sorry. And thank you for all this." Larry touched his sweater. "I...didn't mean to be rude or what, it's just...it's getting late and I have to go home." He looked outside the window to see the blue sky turning purple and the sun starting to set.

"Well, okay. Take these all with you, then." Elly rushed to the kitchen drawers to get a large ziplock bag for the sandwiches while Alex took a shopping bag to put Larry's clean clothes in. The young Danvers hurried to the fridge, took out a six-pack of his favourite pudding and also slipped it inside Larry's goodie bag.

"Here you go, Larry." Elly handed the bag to his friend.

"Thanks a lot, man." Larry shyly smiled. "You look like a naked Christmas elf in that."

Alex bit her lip to hold back an incoming smirk as she watched the boys talk casually.

"Hah! Well, thanks for the detour earlier. That was fun." Elly walked him by the door, still wearing a towel over his head and his red boxer briefs.

"I'll see you around, then. Thanks, Mrs. Danvers!" Larry waved goodbye as he wore his damp smelly shoes by the door.

"Stay safe out there! Send my regards to your grandma." Alex called after him.

"I will!"

When Elly finally closed the door after watching his friend disappear behind the hallway to the elevator, he suddenly asked his mom: "You didn't tell him you're a cop, did you?"

"Uhm, no? Why?"

"Cops used to chase him away. He didn't tell you?"

"No. But he told me you were nice to him."

"Well, it's a Danvers thing." He winked at his mom as he resumed eating his PB&J.

Alex let out a smirk, shook her head. "It's your turn to take a shower, little Danvers. I need to get back to work after dinner for debriefing."

"Wuuut?!?" Elly said in a funny high pitched voice. He already got used to it, knowing too well of his mom's nature of work. But deep inside, he misses her and worries more when she has to go back out there after dinner.

"Bummer. Sorry, sweetie."

"That's okay. Just make sure you come home to me."

"As you wish, Lord Stark." Alex said in a pretty sharp British accent. _Come home to me._ It actually pains her when Elly tells her that. She tries her best not to make her son worry when in fact, what worries her more is the possibility of not being able to come back to him whenever duty calls. As a director, she doesn't need to go out in the field that often anymore but when she does, anything could happen.

"Ugh. I hate when you call me that." Elly rolled his eyes as Alex shook the towel above his head, loose.

"Ugh. Take a shower, Smelly." She mimicked his whining voice, making him snicker a little.

  
  


 

 

 

 


	3. The Rad Squad Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elly snuggled closer, and wrapped an arm around Alex's waist. "I'm worried about you."
> 
> "Aww, baby." She swept the hair away from his forehead and gave his scalp a slow massage. It felt soothing for her as well. She can't help but smile, almost forgetting how caring her little boy could be, and realising that they haven't had this kind of conversation in a while. "Thank you for taking care of me." She whispered.
> 
> "You haven't gone out on a date since you had me." Elly inferred as he buried his face in her chest.
> 
> or
> 
> Elly worries about how Alex works too much and wasn't dating enough. He plays matchmaker after pointing out and concluded exactly why she should date Lena.

 

 

 

"Ei, Jack. The old man contacted you yet?"

A man in his early twenties sat on the front seat of a blue grey pick up truck that was parked on a high cliff, overlooking a well-lit city from a distance. His greasy jet-black hair was tied in a little top knot and faded on the sides, while his thick dark brows arched as sharp as his chiseled, shaved clean jaws. The black tank top under his denim jacket suits the well-maintained, medium-built of his body. David Bowie was playing on the stereo and out of his rolled-down windows, overlooking the clear National City sky.

"No. You?" The woman behind the wheel answered as she chewed loudly on her gum. She was about his age and wore a black fitted shirt with a faded Harley Quinn print, paired with an over-ripped skinny jeans and knee-high leather boots of the same colour as her brother's. They both had deep grayish green eyes.

Jill took his time before answering. A good five seconds before his lips parted from his vape, and puffed out small rings of smoke that smelled of chocolate, out of the window.

"Really? Last time it was vanilla, now that?" Jack took notice of him with a playful smirk.

"What? Chicks dig it." He handed her a folded, grand opening flier of an appliance center in downtown National City.

"What is this? Opening on Saturday."

"Someone left it on the wiper. Look at the back."

Jack slurped loudly from a large soda cup as she flipped the piece of paper over and found a handwritten note at the bottom right corner.

"A job? From him?"

"Yup. But the note says Wednesday." Jill took another long huff before breathing out another thick layer of smoke out of the open window.

"It's just an address. And time."

"I checked it out yesterday. It's a gas station, that way, about a mile outside the city. He's probably after the shipment." Jill added, as he points his vape towards the direction.

"How do you know it's from him?"

"He underlined something else in there."

"Oh, yeah, Chelsea. You wanna go?"

"It's a pretty big shipment. And I want a new, bigger tv, so..."

"You think we could trust this guy? We just met him in a pub and shared drinks with him for a night."

"Guy's got a reputation, but...I dunno. At least there's two of us."

"Right. We been called The Hunter Twins for a reason."

"Let's give him a chance."

"We'll see."

  
\---------

  
"You're not drunk."

Alex knew that was a question. Elly is aware that she wasn't drunk, but wonders why she looks like one.

"No I'm not, sir. Don't mind me. Keep sleeping." She mumbled to her son, keeping her words short and sweet, not even noticing that he was actually waiting for her.

  
It's been a long day at work and Alex almost felt like she was sleep walking, the moment she entered their apartment building only a minute ago. Surprisingly, she was impressed with herself when she found the door to her unit from the lift with her eyes closed, though she's done it many times before.

Everything was quiet when she walked through the door. Aaah, home. Just the sound of it felt relaxing already. She just laid down the keys and her helmet, headed straight to bed and let herself fall face-first, like her drunk old self.

  
Elly shook his head and got up anyway. He placed a bookmark on the page of a book that he got completely lost in, only noticing that her mom was already home, when she dropped down the bed.

Gently, he unbuckled and pulled off her leather boots and slowly removed her leather jacket. He even removed her wristwatch, her earrings, and everything else in her pockets and placed them altogether on her bedside table. He kissed her on the cheek before tucking her under the sheets. For almost a minute, he stood there watching her sleep, thinking if he should wipe her face clean too. And so he did anyway, grabbing a pack of wet wipes from the dresser and gently turned her over so she's lying on her back. Elly heard her grunt. Or maybe it was a snore? He wasn't sure, but he went ahead and wiped Alex's face clean anyway.

"Oh my god, this is so disgusting." He whispered, softly enough not to startle his mom but clearly enough for her to hear.

"Eyy..." Alex said, followed by a short indistinguishable mumble that anyone wouldn't be able to understand.

She could be singing a rap song in her sleep. Elly pursed his lips and smirked to himself. Little did he know that Alex was fully aware of what's happening.

Alex was smiling inside, touched by how her little boy is taking care of her, only that she feels too tired to move or say anything clearly. She tried to lift an eyelid, but failed. She took a couple of deep breaths before trying again, only to see Elly staring back at her with his duck face. As tired as she might be, it still made her snort and felt more able than a few seconds ago.

"Mm sorry." She grunted. It was all Alex could say.

"It's okay. You had a long day." Elly answered softly as he resealed the pack of wipes and returned it to the dresser.

"Yeah." She closed her eyes again, but she wanted to talk some more. "How was your day?"

"Eh, fine. I started reading a book this evening and I'm halfway already."

"Watcha reading?"

"Da Vinci Code."

"Oh, that's a good one." Alex mumbled with her eyes already closed.

"Yah. Good night, ma."

"Night, Ned. Love you."

"Love you too."

That was Alex's cue that the day has officially ended. She felt Elly sink on his side of the bed, after tucking them both under the blankets, while her brain and her heart settles down to their own beds. Even her spirit was ready to snore.

"Ma?" Elly suddenly asks.

"Hmm?" Alex murmured. Still all ears but her eyelids already shut, resting and ready for a deep sleep. _Can I deal with that tomorrow, sweetie? Mama's tired._ She rehearsed her response in her head while she half-listened.

"Are you happy?"

It took a few seconds for the words to register. Alex opened her eyes and suddenly felt fully awake, as if being splashed in the head with a bucket of cold water. She slowly rolled on her side to see the look on Elly's face. He looked serious, but the way his eyebrows arched and the crinkle in the middle of his forehead says something has been bothering him.

"What made you ask that, sweetie? Is everything okay?" She whispers while she placed an arm over her son's tummy and snuggled with him a little closer. Baby hairs at the back of her head raised when she saw his eyes sparkle into a deeper shade of green under the light coming from his bedside lamp.

"Are you okay?" Elly asked, surprising her.

"Well, yeah." She scanned his face for probable reasons, wondering, while something inside her chest thumps a little faster. "Did I miss something?"

"No."

"Then, what's the matter? Wait, am I in trouble?"

"No."

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" She suddenly felt anxious and a little guilty for some reason.

"Yeah. It's just...you've been working relentlessly too much for the past month and..."

"I'm so sorry, sweetie." She sighed, ran her hands through his hair and leaned in to kiss his temple. "I know it's hard and believe me, I miss you too."

Elly snuggled closer, and wrapped an arm around Alex's waist. "I'm worried about you."

"Aww, baby." She swept the hair away from his forehead and gave his scalp a slow massage. It felt soothing for her as well. She can't help but smile, almost forgetting how caring her little boy could be, and realising that they haven't had this kind of conversation in a while. "Thank you for taking care of me." She whispered.

"You haven't gone out on a date since you had me." Elly inferred as he buried his face in her chest.

"What?" Alex thought she was hearing things, but realised it didn't came from her own thoughts. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." He mumbled softly, sniffing the comforting scent of dried sweat from her mama's skin.

Alex didn't know exactly how to respond to that. Blinking and taking slow breaths as a pair of blue-green eyes gazed back at her, waiting. "We can go out this Friday. Just you and me." She told him.

A huge sigh came out of Elly. "A real date, mom. You know, like...with someone that is not me?"

Alex had to take a deep breath. "Yeah, yeah, I think I know what you mean."

"I love you ma, but I can't always take care of you." He traced a finger along the neckline of her basic v-neck shirt.

The boy was right, Alex thought. He's too young to be taking care of a grown woman like her. "Wait, are you getting married?" She suddenly asked out of nowhere.

"Ma!?!? I'm ten years old!"

"Oh, right. You sounded like you're trying to get rid of me." Alex plainly replied. "You're not leaving me, are you?" She muttered with an overly dramatic sad tone, fake sobs and buried her lips in his hair.

"What? No! Where am I gonna go?"

"Your Auntie Kara? Because she's such a dork and she always takes you out for ice cream, and she sings really well and-and you'll always get potstickers, if not, pizza for dinner?" Alex asked while still being oddly dramatic.

"Wow. That's not a bad idea. You sure you're not drunk?" Elly nodded in realisation.

"Are you getting tired of your old lady?"

"Of course I am."

Alex pulled away to look him in the eye, feeling a little burned. She wasn't sure if she heard it right.

"Not." Elly added and smirked.

"You..."

Alex playfully bit his ear with pursed lips, causing Elly to giggle and wriggle out of her arms. He covered his ear with one hand, while his other hand tried to cover his mom's mouth to stop her from getting closer. Alex chuckled while she wrestled him with tickles.

"Cookieee!" She declared, before burying her face on Elly's neck while mimicking the googly-eyed muppet. "Om nom! Nom! Nom!"

It's the little moments like this that makes Alex forget how exhausted she was a few minutes ago. Time seems to slow down everytime she see and hear Elly's laughter. He's the reason why she keeps going, why she's doing all of this, after all. The giggles died down and everything was quiet again.

  
"But seriously ma, why aren't you dating?" Elly pressed on as he settles to.

Alex got caught off guard again and sighed. She never liked discussing this topic in general, what more discuss it with her own son. "Okay, what do you want, Lord Stark?" She asked, feeling cornered as they cuddled on the king sized bed facing each other.

"Go out with Aunt Lena."

"With who now?!" Alex thought she didn't catch the name.

"Aunt Lena. Fairy godmother Luthor? Ring any bells?"

"What?!?" Now she was undeniably stunned. As ridiculous as it may sound, she wished she was in a dream. Maybe she was? She did fell fast asleep the very moment she touched the bed, and she was having this conversation with Elly in her dream.

"L-Corp? CatCo? Dark hair, red lipstick?"

"Nooo..."

"Why not?"

"Because!" Alex raised both her hands in the air, wide-eyed as if asking the heavens for answers that would be valid enough to make Elly stop.

"Because...?"

Alex doesn't understand why she keeps running out of things to say. Her mind is as tired as her body, yes, but she can feel drops of sweat forming at the back of her neck, like she's been running for hours. "Oh, Eddard..." A heavy sigh was all she had left.

Elly didn't seem to have heard that she called him by his real name. "Look..." He raised a hand and started counting with his fingers. "You're a Bio-geek like her..."

"Uh-huh?" Alex felt a little amused.

"You're as smart as her..."

"Oh, she's way smarter."

"Whatever. You kick ass and stop the bad guys..."

"She does too."

"Exactly. You both like to drink..."

"Well...uh-huh?"

"She's already part of the family..."

"And...?"

"I'm a big boy now, so I'm not gonna get in your way anymore." He clearly pointed out, ending the count for compatibility.

"What...does that have to do with anything?" Alex tried not to show her smirk. She can see where he's going, but she thinks it was hilarious enough not to see things that way.

"It'll work!" Elly inferred.

"Umm...hello? She's in Metropolis which is not anywhere near this city? I mean, it's so far away from here, Ned."

"Farther than Australia?"

"She's always busy, as you can see, and so am I."

"Exactly my point! You don't have to go and see each other everyday, only when you can. She can come visit here, or you can go visit her there...you know how to make calls, right? And she does too! That's why I knew it'll work!" Elly's face lightened up.

"Already?" Alex can't help but let out a laugh. This is definitely not a normal conversation with a ten-year old boy. He may be all over the place, yes, but he was exceedingly reasonable for his age to make such a point. She realised that this wasn't something he just made up overnight. "Okay, wait..." She chuckled some more just to convince Elly otherwise. "Lincoln, it's just..."

"What? I'm not kidding! Can't you see it?" He clearly didn't mind her calling him by his name again. An indication that he was completely serious.

"Lincoln Eddard, I really appreciate your concern about me not dating, but...that's not how it works, sweetie."

"I just want you to be happy."

"I am!" Alex snapped back. "I am happy."

"With someone else! Oh, you know exactly what I mean, mother."

Alex had to laugh again, having Elly call her that way. "Oh, Lincoln..." She shook her head in disbelief and smiled lovingly at her son, who was staring back at her like she has gone bonkers. "Wait, are you sick?" She feels Elly's head with her palms and placed an ear to his chest, down to his tummy, pretending to listen to his internal organs and then to his crotch. "I think you're broken. You're not working properly." She blinked at him looking worried.

Elly giggled and wriggled away. "Ow! I'm working pretty fine, ma." He rolled his eyes at how her mom is being ridiculous.

"Should we call an ambulance?" Alex laid back on the bed, fighting away her snort.

"Please, don't do that in front of anyone."

"Even Aunt Kara? Or Grams?"

"Anyone!" Elly inferred.

"Oh, so I can still do that again? No one else is here right now." Alex chuckled.

"No!" He covered his crotch with both hands.

Alex laughed at him. "Oooh, yeaaah. You sure are working pretty fine." She teased while tickling his tummy.

"Don't change the subject, Mrs. Danvers." Elly tried to dodge Alex's hand.

"Umm...excuse me, sir. But as you can see, I'm still a Miss." Alex snapped back with a raised eyebrow.

"That's why I'm pairing you up with Ms. Luthor."

"Ow."

"Uh-huh. We're back to that again, Miss Badass Bio-geek Danvers."

"Oow." Alex sounded pained. "So we're really calling it that now? Bio-geek?" She kissed him loudly on top of his head. "Whose kid are you again?"

"Oh, I don't know. Do you?"

"Umm...sorry, but no. Oh, wait. You're in my apartment, sleeping on my bed, suckling on my...oh, crap! You're my baby!?!?!" She planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Language!" Elly almost yelled at his mother's clavicle while giggling.

"It's a miracle! How did that even happen?!?" She gave him another kiss on the cheek.

"I know, right? I'm sorry to disappoint you, Miss Danvers but...I'm stuck with you."

"What a horrible nightmare!" She replied, as she planted another loud smack on his temple.

"Yes, it is."

Alex can't help but laugh while slowly showering Elly with noisy kisses on half of his face. He giggled and returned every one of her kisses back.

"Ew, yuck!" He said in disgust, but kept on kissing her anyway, in between his giggles.

"Ew, yuck your face! You were the one who wiped my face clean a while ago."

"Eghh. Erk. Ugh! Dlekh!" Elly pretended to gag.

Alex beamed. "Is that a new language? From what planet?"

"Planet Luthorrrrr."

Alex had to snigger with his persistence, but suddenly sounded a little more serious. "Elly, baby..."

"I don't wear diapers anymore, ma."

"But, you will always be my baby..."

Elly threw her off, before she could even continue. "She's perfect and you know it."

Alex gazed deeply in his eyes with all seriousness and fell silent. He just looked back at her, as if trying to read what's going on in her head. They've never had this kind of conversation before. Though a part of her knows that this will come up eventually, she can't help but wonder how long Elly must've been keeping this in, or looking forward to this; her, dating someone new.

At his age, he's getting smarter; already knowing what to look in others, who to trust, and what kind of people to surround himself with. He was right to point out what they had in common, though, she never really thought of Lena that way. The boy feels completely safe with the Luthor heiress, and so, matching her with his mother is something she clearly understands. But the question is, what would Kara think about that?

Alex thought they were doing just fine. Elly and her in this studio apartment sharing a bed, while Kara and James, and sometimes J'onn, take turns to pick him up from school and spend some time with him when she can't. Superfriends' game night every Friday, and Danvers breakfast on Sundays. They've been doing alright with that sort of routine for the last nine years, him hanging out with his aunts and uncles and gladly doing small errands around CatCo like a little intern, asking J'onn to help him with his homework and his chess moves in his office. She thought she could make it, just like how her mom did. But now, she realises, perhaps that case was entirely different.

Alex ran her fingers through his hair, her delusions silenced by the fact that Elly really is growing up and already taking responsibility for her happiness, or maybe she was indeed working way too much, without her realising it? "Tsk! I asked you not to grow up too fast." She softly said.

"You're gonna need someone, because in eight years..."

"Don't." Don't go there yet. It sounded like a plea for him not to go on with what he was about to say, because she knew it'll only make her emotional, then and there.

"It's inevitable, ma."

"I knooow." She blinked to stop an incoming tear, even before it formed.

"Just give it a try. Ask her out for drinks or something."

Alex had to snigger again. "Drinks huh?"

"Yes. I'm also curious, who's weaker between you two."

"Wow. That is a very..."

"Brilliant idea. I know, right?"

"You're gonna have to get your own room, then."

"I could just sleep on Aunt K's or Uncle J's couch."

"You poor thing?"

"Sleepovers aren't that bad. Especially when there's pizza."

"Weirdo."

"I love you too, mama."

"Gggrrrgh." Alex groaned with her nose buried in Elly's hair as their conversation faded, both falling into a deep sleep in each other's arms.


	4. Are You Dating My Mom?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: AGENTCORP FLUFF AHEAD!!!!!
> 
> "Did you go all the way here just to surprise my mom?" Elly suddenly asks her, his eyes sparkling with such curiosity while he chews on his food.
> 
> "Umm, no. I actually came to see you, darling." The CEO sweetly replied with a wink as she runs her fingers along his long brown hair and tucking it behind his ear. "Why? Not happy to see me?"
> 
> Elly swallowed and paused for a while, like he was hesitating to respond before continuing. "Are you dating my mom?" He bluntly asks.
> 
>  

 

  
_**SURPRIIIIISSSEEEE!!!!!** _

There were balloons, a shower of glimmering confetti and a bottle of champagne popped somewhere, the moment Alex opened the door to her apartment one night when she came home from work. The house stenched of pizza, barbecue wings and of course, sweet alcohol.

"Congratulations Director Danvers!" Brainy and Nia yelled together, popping more confetti up the low ceiling.

"Congrats Alex! We're so proud of you!" J'onn was there too, clapping his hands together.

"One down! Yaaaay!" Kara was waving the bottle of champagne that thankfully didn't bubbled to flood the floor while she clanged it with a spoon.

"Captain Rad down again! Finally! Yes!" James had this big smile on his face, clapping his big hands as well.

"Oh, you guys..." Alex blushed as she tried to cover her face with a hand to protect herself from the confetti. She almost got teary-eyed, now that all their failures, planning and strategizing for the last year has finally came into fruition.

The DEO got a tip from an anonymous source that an ambush to a large shipment will be going down just outside the city, involving some EHE or Enhanced Harun-El users. They anticipated and prepared for The Hunter Twins but didn't expect that Captain Rad will be there as well. Long story short, the twins somehow escaped, totally empty-handed but they were able to apprehend Cap once again, despite him being the longest EHE user among them with a little help from Dreamer and Supregirl. He got locked up in the maximum security prison under the DEO headquarters a few hours ago and that's still a big win for the agency, having only scrapes and bruises as casualties on their part.

Laying down her keys and helmet on the small table by the door, Alex's eyes scanned the house while she thanked and hugged everyone in the room. "You didn't have to. Oh wait, where is the...?"

"Oh, don't mind him. He's pretty busy with his...stuff." Kara waved at her sister and pointed at the farthest corner of the studio apartment where Elly sat in front of his own study desk, books and notes laid out on top of it as a half slice of pizza dangled helplessly from his mouth.

"Hmmmm!!!" Elly turned at his mother and hoots a what was supposed to be a congratulatory _yaaay_ with both his closed fists up in the air, one hand holding a pen.

"You okay there, Ned?"

Elly just raised a thumb with a hum then pointed at her asking if she's okay as well. When Alex raised both her thumbs herself, he turned back to his desk and continued working.

"He's been sitting on that chair ever since we got here." Nia told Alex like she was sulking a little from the fact that the youngest Danvers didn't have much attention to spare.

"Oh, he did got up for a few seconds only to start on the pizza without _you_ , though." James snorted as J'onn smirked, shaking their heads.

"Oh, that little..." Alex started but Brainy interrupted her.

"He was pretty busy working on his little project!" Brainy mumbled, winking at her.

"Ooh. _That_ project?" Alex nodded like she understood what that meant. "That better be good! And I'm drinking tonight, is that okay? Just a little? Yup, thank you!" She called out to him and a short hum from Elly was all she got, while the others chuckled.

"C'mon, tell us the details! How did it go?" James insisted as they gathered around the dining table.

 

* * *

 

_"Trapper? Status report?"_

Said the small scruffy voice from the other end of a burner phone that Jill found under the hood of their pick-up truck.

"And who the hell are you?" Jill fumingly answered.

 _"What happened to the Captain?"_ The voice asked again.

"Umm...I'm sorry kid, I think you got the wrong number." Jack answered politely after snatching the phone out of her brother's hand.

 _"Where. Is. The. Captain?"_ The voice was louder, clearer, slower and sounded a little more impatient.

Jill snatched the phone back and pressed the loudspeaker button after checking their surroundings, using his super senses and realising how empty the rusty and abandoned storage facility was that they chose as a hideout.

"Hey, whoever you are, don't ever call this number again!" Jill barked as the twins huddled together with the phone between them. He was about to press the end call button when Jack stopped him with a struggle and successfully snatching the phone out of his hands again. There was a long sigh on the other end.

 _"The Hunter Twins. The Trapper and The Tracker. Virgil and Jacquelyn."_ The voice uttered clear and slowly through the loudspeaker. Dumbfounding the twins who turned to each other looking puzzled.

 _"You both made it out of phase three, alive and unscathed. Congratulations."_ The voice continued.

"Who-who are you, exactly?" Jack stammered as she asked nicely.

 _"You may refer to me as The Caretaker."_ The scruffy voice said, more calmer this time. _"Welcome to The Rad Squad."_

"The what? What did it say?" Jill asked his sister who was listening intently.

"Shh! It said The Rad Squad."

"The Rad...we...what, we're part of that now?" Jill stuttered, his voice somewhat nervous and excited.

 _"We have been watching you for quite a while."_ The Caretaker continued. _"So how did it go?"_

"Umm...we...uhh..."

"We've been compromised. Cap...the Captain...and the others have been captured by the DEO." Jack was able to answer rigth away. "Sorry."

 _"Good."_ The Caretaker's brief reply stunned the twins. _"We shall now proceed to..."_

"Wait, what?! Good?! What do you mean by good?!" Jill barked, a little outraged.

"Shh! Just let him finish!" Jack waved off her brother. "Or her."

_"As I've said, we shall now proceed to phase four. Await further instructions. In the meantime, go dark. I'll be in..."_

"Wait, aren't we gonna get paid for that?" Jill suddenly asked and Jack gave him a loud smack in the head with her open palm. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Sorry. Again. Please proceed." Jack says apologeticlly and The Caretaker let out a long snigger.

_"You're one of us now. Out of thousands of Enhanced Harun-El users who wanted a top spot in the squad, you two were the luckiest and that should be enough payment."_

"I'm sorry, umm...Caretaker?" Jack hesitantly asks. "But there must've been some kind of mistake. I'm afraid we didn't umm...we didn't actually...how do I say this?" She trailed off, searching for the right and polite words to say.

"How did we got in if we didn't applied or umm...auditioned for anything, really?" Jill finishes his twin's sentence, making Jack roll her eyes.

_"As I've said, you were the luckiest. The old man picked you two personally. Until then, I'll be in touch."_

There was a blip and the call ended, leaving the twins a little baffled. Jill was still holding the burner phone when it suddenly sparked, hurting his hand a little and making him drop it immediately.

"Ow!" He shook his hand annoyingly. "Damn. I didn't get my tv."

 

* * *

 

It's getting late but Alex's apartment was still filled with chattering, clinking glasses and laughter. Her dining table littered with bottles of wine, champagne and beer, half-filled baskets of wings, almost-empty pizza boxes, plates with chicken bones and pie crusts on top, and silverwares on the side. Their little celebration that night was almost over when there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Well, who could that be?" A puzzled Alex shrugged and got up to open the door.

"Have we been too loud?" Kara wondered openly.

"I don't think so." James answered.

"Lena?!?" Alex blurted out, obviously stunned and extremely surprised. "I didn't know you were in town?! When did you...?" She whirled around the rest of the gang with her and their mouths half-open.

"I saw the news and I wanted to surprise you so, I hopped on the jet and here I am. Congratulations!" She blushed as she holds up a bottle of champagne with a red ribbon tied on it's neck. "Surprised?"

She was wearing a dark trench coat, hair up in a high pony tail, proud light green eyes filled with excitement to be here, a pair of gold earrings lining each of her ear and of course, her signature red lipstick making her impish smile more stunning.

"Of course! Wow!" Alex was startled her eyes wide with...well, surprise. "How've you been? Come in! Come in! Everyone's here." She steps aside to give way and waved for her to get inside the apartment. "Elly! Your Aunt Lena is here!" She turned from the door to yell at her son's direction.

The youngest Danvers suddenly scrambled from his desk, picking up and sliding in sheets of paper in-between the pages of his open books before closing them along with all his notebooks, and stacking them neatly on top of each other before shoving them all neatly inside a storage box underneath. Panting as sweat dribbles down his neck, he turned his head towards the dining room to meet the glimpses of their guests his way, only to find Kara standing with her back on him and blocking his view.

_Whew!_

His face lights up when he saw Lena's smile appear from behind Kara, just as his Auntie K turns around to face him and mouthed something that he only nodded to in response. With a last glance, he checked his desk only to be satisfied with how clean it now looked.

"Lena! Hey!" Kara waved awkwardly by the couch as everyone welcomed the Luthor heiress and expressed their greetings.

"Aunt Lena!!!" Elly squealed and ran to her, his arms wide open for a hug.

"Elly!!!" The Luthor heiress responded with equal delight as she returns the young boy's embrace.

"Hey! That's no fair!? Where's mine?" Nia was the first one to whine, though just playfully, but the rest of the gang followed, asking for their hugs too.

Elly turns his head around them in a pout, his arms still wrapped around Lena's waist until she reaches the couch to sit on. He chuckles and finally lets go of Lena to let her settle in, then goes around the room to deliver his secondary soft hugs to everyone else who wanted it.

"Oh, I brought you this. Congratulations!" Lena hands over the bottle of champagne to the older Danvers, who accepted it with cheeks already blushing a little from the amount of alcohol she had earlier.

"Why, thank you!" Alex gazed at the bottle then back to Lena. "This is..."

"Wow! That looks hmm-hmm!" Kara points out as she sits on a stool by the kitchen counter with Nia, after receiving their tight hug from Elly, who was almost done with his deliveries by the moment and now stealing short glances to his mama.

"That looks expensive." Elly butts in, pausing only to look at the bottle that his mother was holding before going on to the dining table to get himself another slice of pizza.

"Since when did you know how much these things costs?" Alex asks him, smiling with a trace of ridicule in her tone while she sets the bottle on the counter. "Hey where's my hug?" She demanded as the others held conversations of their own.

The young boy obliged, hugging his mother with just one arm while the other holds out a greasy slice of pizza away carefully, not to stain her shirt. He takes a big bite when they parted like he hasn't eaten all day, sending away a wide smile to his Aunt Lena, then to Alex and back to the CEO. He settled on the armrest of the couch beside her after shifting his gaze between them a couple more times.

"Did you go all the way here just to surprise my mom?" Elly suddenly asks her, his eyes sparkling with such curiosity while he chews on his food.

"Umm, no. I actually came to see you, darling." The CEO sweetly replied with a wink as she runs her fingers along his long brown hair and tucking it behind his ear. "Why? Not happy to see me?"

Elly swallowed and paused for a while, like he was hesitating to respond before continuing. "Are you dating my mom?" He bluntly asks with a sigh.

At that, everyone's attention was caught, along with a defeaning silence and pairs of wide eyes with eyebrows raised. There were incoming chuckles that were never ready to be released while Alex and Lena's jaws dropped, though not literally.

"Elly!?" Alex started, a little flustered perhaps.

"Well, you've been calling her more often, lately." The boy blurted out to Alex, who sort of froze from where she was standing. "You've been calling each other a lot lately. Especially at night?" He added as he took another innocent bite from his pizza, his mother eyeing him as if asking _What are you doing?_ and _How did you know?._

"I heard you! This is a pretty small space so..." Elly continued as if answering the questions in his mother's gaze and nodded once, putting a periodt on his sentence.

"Ooh-ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!" The blonde Danvers cackled loudly, but suddenly stops when she realises that no one else was laughing. "Didn't see that coming." She says softly as she tried to swallow a weak smile of embarrassement, filling the dead air with so much awkwardness.

"Well, I did!" Elly replied in a sing-song tone and started to bob his head happily while he eats as if dancing along with pop music. His smile was full of hope that spells out _I know I'm right_ , making Kara, James, Nia, Brainy and J'onn exchange surprised looks with their mouths open.

The accused women just stared at each other like they were being interrogated separately, sending quiet signals to each other, talking only with their eyes and their dancing eyebrows. It only took a few seconds of what looked like a silent bargaining between them before Alex finally let out a deep sigh and cleared her throat to speak.

"Well..." She started with a snort to probably shake off her nerves. "Umm...why do I feel like I did something wrong here?"

Everyone softly chuckles while Alex quietly mutters a classic _"Dammit Danvers"_ that was actally meant for her son, getting rid of the awkward silence in the room as she scratches her eyebrow.

"So...you are dating?" Nia asks openly, like a journalist that she is, as the rest of them awaits in suspense.

"Alex? What are we doing exactly?" Lena asks softly, as if giving her permission and the courage to talk, giving away a clue of what Elly was accusing them of and making a faint gasp escape someone's lips from behind.

"Enlighten us, please." Brainy added with a smile.

"Well? Now that everyone's here anyway..." Alex sighed nervously while her eyes softened and gazed at the CEO sitting on the couch, like she was asking for her support and stepping a little closer to join her. "Lena and I are...we have been calling each other a lot lately, yes. But...no, we are not dating."

The whole bunch hummed in approval, a proof that they are all listening and encouraging her to continue with what she has to say.

"Not yet. Well, not technically, because the distance, as we all know..."

"Is quite long. Wait, as in...long distance?" James asks to clarify her statement.

"I mean, is it wrong if we are? Cause we are." Alex finally confirms.

The apartment was suddenly filled with soft congratulatory awws, of course nots, and cheers, while little Danvers raises both his hands up in the air like he just won a big prize unexpectedly.

"And now that the cat is finally out of the bag...why don't we make it official, Miss Luthor?" Alex gently sits on the couch with a wide smile on her face.

"Director?" Lena acknowledges her with the same smile as they slowly, as if nervously, leans in closer to each other to share a soft, sweet kiss.

Another round of soft awws filled the room while Elly looks up into the ceiling, closed fists raised high up in the air as if thanking the gods for answering his prayer.

"Yes! Yes! Yesss!!!!" The boy muttered in rejoice and unable to contain his happiness, creating an amusing entertainment for the whole bunch to see.

"Ooh...someone's excited." Nia teases, giggling at how adorable Elly looked at the moment.

Alex and Lena exchanged coded smiles and glances while Elly interrupts them with a long and tight hug, all three of them huddled together.

"Aww. That's so sweet of you, darling. Are you happy?" Lena asks him while throwing side glances at Kara, who was sitting far behind Elly and beaming back at her with her own sunny smile. But then, the CEO also noticed the short, deep sighs and the hard swallowing that followed.

"Are you happy for mama? Huh?" Alex asks her son.

"Of course, I am! Very!" He answered and tackled them again, giggling on the couch with his hug as he planted loud smooches on both their cheeks. "I love you both so much!"

Halfway through the embrace and we love you toos, Alex meets Kara's gaze, her smile unwavering. When Elly finally lets them go, Alex stands up from the couch and walks to her sister, who also stood up from the stool and greets her with open arms.

"It's about damn time because it's been way too long." Kara whispers quietly as they wrapped their arms around each other, her eyes twinkling with eagerness. "I'm happy for you both." She softly says when they parted.

"Is this okay? I'm sorry, we didn't tell you sooner." Alex replied, eyes deeply apologetic. She can see how warm Kara's smile is, and her words are just as sincere as they could get. But deep inside, Alex knew that the twinkle in her sister's eyes meant something else, concealing themselves for the world not to see.

Lena and Kara used to be the bestest of friends and everyone in this chosen family knows that. Despite their differences, they clicked right away like they were sisters from their past lives. They used to tell each other about almost anything, be the first ones to know what's happening to the other and used to have each other's backs no matter what. But all of that has changed since, with the latter being the only used to be that's left.

"Are you kidding me? Of course, this is okay! This is so okay! Actually more than that, this is great!" Kara replied.

 

* * *

 

About twenty floors deep down under National City, somewhere along the all-identical, labyrinth-like hallways of the maximum security prison below the DEO headquarters, in one of the cells lined with white walls and full length glass doors sealed shut, his lip cracked and left cheek bruised, Captain Rad sits still on his prison bed listening intently in his surroundings, hands and feet bound by power dampening cuffs that glowed blue on the sides. He was alert yet calm, a tinge of excitement behind the dark circles under his eyes staying hopeful and waiting ever patiently as his lips suddenly curls up into a little smirk.

 

* * *

 

"Packed your bags already? Well, that was fast." Nia says with a little surprise in her voice as they all get ready to leave.

"Well, someone's ecstatic. His desk's now spick-and-span, like nothing ever happened." It was Brainy who commented this time.

"Always cleaning. He probably picked that up from Kara." Alex butts in.

"No, he got that from you! Always wanting everything in order, Director Danvers?" Kara snaps back at her.

"Oh, the other definition of order, you mean?" Lena butts in, making everyone laugh.

"Oh, no. Do you remember me in college, Kara? Spick-and-span? Really?" The older Danvers argued, trying to prove her point. "I am so okay with mess. Totally."

"Oh! Even in high school, yeah! Oh my god, Alex! Everything on your side of the room was a mess!" Kara spills.

"See? I put the A in chaos." Alex even beamed with pride.

"Okay. That's our cue." J'onn waves everyone out, telling it's time to leave.

"We're going now, guys! Thank you! Bye!" James snickers as they walked out of the apartment one by one.

"What? There is A in chaos!" Alex eyed on Lena as if asking for back up, but the CEO just blinked and turned to the bottle of alcohol.

A few minutes more, Alex's home is now filled with a calm kind of silence while a faint sound of bubbly champagne lingered. Tables and counters have been cleared, empty bottles and boxes discarded, plates and silverwares washed and cleaned. The guests had said their goodbyes and a few more hugs and congratulations have been exchanged before making their way back to their own abodes. Just as he had planned, Elly decided to spend the night over at Kara's loft and said that he would go to school from there the next day instead, after begging for her Aunt Lena to spend the night over at their home, alone with his mama. And so, nobody else was left behind inside that studio apartment, but Lena and Alex hushed talking to each other on the comfty couch, with half-filled glasses of champagne in their hands.

"He really heard us talking?"

"I don't know how he found out. I was always out in the balcony when we talk."

"Super hearing, you think?"

"Maybe? But I always made sure that he's already snoring whenever I make those calls."

"Did you see that look on his face?"

"Oh, priceless. You should've seen him when he asked me why I've never dated since I had him."

Both not-so-sober women sighed and shook their heads in unison as if coming into a mutual agreement, cheeks flushed but smiling at what the night's shenanigans has resulted into.

"He's growing up too fast."

"Yeah, that's what I told him. So...do you really want to...I mean, are we really gonna do this? Lena?"

"Think you can do this, Alex? With me?"

"Well, I'm a secret agent, remember? This is what I do. The question is, can you?"

"Well, us Luthors are openly known for the deepest, darkest secrets that we keep, so...I just hope it doesn't get out."

"It won't. They won't let it."

"We can do this, yes?"

"Yup. We're pros."

And at that, they nodded at each other, ending their conversation with the clinking sound of their glasses.

Oh, but no. A half hour later or so, there were silent moans escaping a couple of mouths as if responding to each other's call. Of loud gasps and soft inhales, ticklish touch that seemed to comfortly burn each other's skin. In the dark of the night, under the dim-lit studio apartment with the city lights outside serving as a night lamp, shadows danced along the dark gray walls as warm bodies stretched, twisted and turned on the bed and under the white and gray, zig-zag patterned sheets. Sweet kisses and slow but soft panting echoed in their ears, gratifying each and every of their senses in a way they never thought was possible and never really had before. The night was a little chaotically still, quite long, not too dark and probably exhausting. Full of secrets, filled with lies and perhaps, false promises.

Or not.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh again, but no. That's just me! Creating another fic out of this fic just because I got so carried away. Yay, Agentcorp, yay!
> 
> Satisfied? Not so much?


	5. The Rad Squad Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex frowned. "Wait, Doctor? Since when did you start calling me doctor?” She sleepily eyed the sizeable cup of coffee. “Is that mine?"
> 
> "Last night?” Lena says with a playful smirk and Alex snorted. “And no, this is mine. Yours is in the kitchen." The Luthor heiress replied as she boops the sleepyhead's nose with her finger before leaving the bed and taking the coffee cup with her.
> 
> "Can't I have mine here, please? The bed won't let go of me." Alex groaned with a plea.
> 
> "My sheets are white and coffee stains so, try again, Danvers." Lena takes a quiet sip from her coffee as she made her way out of the bedroom.
> 
> Alex attempted to get up but the intense pain of hungover in her head pulled her back to bed. "Goddammit! I lost again!?" She yelped in pain and Lena's giggle echoed outside. With a bit of a struggle, she pulled a silky cream-colored, lacy camisole from the floor and decided to put that on before crawling out of the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Public Reminder: Drink Responsibly.

  


  


"I'm very sorry for the news." The lady in her button-up shirt said apologetically.

He tried to swallow the lump in his throat as hazel eyes stared blankly at him from inside the back of the car of the National City Child Care Services.

"We have tried all we can to work it out for you, sir, but we'll have to take her for now. She'll be in our care until you meet all the requirements. You do understand this, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"I'll need you to sign these, please. We'll be in touch." The representative turned to leave right after the papers were signed with his shaky hand. He was lost in the moment, not even knowing if it was a proper signature or just a doodle of some sort.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry."

His words didn't even made it out of his lips as the car slowly drove away. He didn't even get to wave a hand or utter the words _bye_. He just stood there outside the porch of a rundown house, four months behind his rent. For what seemed like hours of standing and staring out in the vastness of the afternoon sky in a suburban ghetto area of National City, his knees buckled and he fell onto the wooden floor of his porch, face-first. He can't move, or maybe because he doesn't want to, even if his nose was bleeding, or his shoulder screamed in pain, or his throat dry in thirst. He turned his head to the side, an ear pinned against the wooden boards of the floor while the other listened to the deafening silence of his home.

There used to be laughter here, right in this very porch. Of a man, his wife and their five-year old daughter with red hair and hazel eyes. They didn't have much, but were doing just fine until they weren't. He got fired from his work for showing up drunk, after finding out that his wife was having an affair with a business man. Submerged in his own insecurities, they started fighting all the time since then. Him always drunk and unable to get a decent job, her always gone, comes home only to argue, and their house filled with yelling, fighting, broken things and a lot of mess. She got tired of him eventually and ran off without even saying goodbye, leaving their little girl like an unwanted pet at his disposal. And now him, letting his little angel be taken away, doing exactly just the same.

He was in the U.S. Military, years even before that; a weapons specialist of the Underground Unit based in Sudan. But in a thin strike of luck, an insecure rival comrade left him in the middle of a war zone, taking his tag, cutting his comms and telling the others that he got blasted by the rebels along with the buggy. He actually did got blasted though, but he didn’t die nor got seriously injured. He just lied there frozen, curled up in a ball, covered in dirt, with both hands covering his ears. He was found by a group of rebels and they were kind enough to promise him help and a ticket going back home, as soon as he completes a certain task. He was kept in a cold, dark room for a while, waiting, but properly fed and sometimes injected with supplements, antibiotics and antibodies. Well, that’s what the rebels said, and he believed it. Because he grew stronger, more agile, more able. He served them and proved his worth for a few more years, nameless and homeless, with nothing for a tag around his neck, but a red, rusty whisky bottle cap.

With his skills in weaponry and survival, he let them drag him along from one war zone to another, down from Rumbek in South Sudan and all the way to Ahar in Iran; almost starting to love what he was doing, even if it means blowing up people’s heads off – even when they are American soldiers. Especially, when they are American soldiers. He was a veteran described as mysterious, versatile, anonymous, radical. Ruthless and savage, even. And somehow, he ended up in the middle of a cross fire again, somewhere in Iraq this time, surrounded by enemies and nowhere left to run. He was ready and willing to die. In fact, he’d been waiting for it for some time. For whatever bizarre reason, he started flipping through pages of his goddamn life and what it became when a flash of smile suddenly made him want to live. He found himself digging deep in the dirt and covering himself with more dirt, rocks, and bits from the blasted, chopped body parts and bleeding dead bodies of his comrades. He stayed there for hours, even days maybe, almost dying of hunger and thirst. But that single second flash of smile in his head was all he needed to survive.

The next thing he knew, he was back in his homeland, in a new city, with a new name as a different man. He met this gorgeous redhead, who made him realize that wanting to live and starting a brand new life wasn’t that bad after all. And then, Chelsea was born.

Captain Rad slowly opened his eyes, waking up to a blinding white light coming from the ceiling that bounced off around the white walls of his prison cell. Staring out into the ceiling, trying to win a staring contest with the lights. He wondered and waited patiently for the tiniest sound he could hear, but there was none. Not even footsteps or whirring or beeping. None. He managed to get out of his kempt prison bed, walked towards the glass doors, both hands and feet still bound by power dampening cuffs, only to glance up and down the hallway outside and the tiny surveillance cameras from the ceiling that's been guarding him for the past twelve months. He scratched his beard before turning around to look at one of the cameras inside his cell.

"Breakfast?" He asks. "Or is it dinner already? I can't tell, cause there's always this stupid light in here." He said in a raspy voice and referring to the ceiling.

As if on cue, a small rectangular hole from the wall by the bedside table opens, and a tray of food slides out before closing again.

"Thank you!" He sleepily said as he sits down on his chair to eat.  


 

* * *

 

 

The smell of freshly brewed coffee was enough to wake Alex up from a good night sleep. For the record, it was definitely one of the best she ever had in a long time. She rolled over the bed and had to shield her eyes from the blinding sunlight that poured inside, courtesy of the full length glass windows of the bedroom.

"Ned? Is that bacon?" She mumbled loudly, as she blew strands of mahogany hair away from invading her mouth, still with her eyes shut tight after a hint of bacon hits her senses, wondering how could that possible be when she doesn't recall getting any from the grocery store last time.

"And the loser lives to see another day."

A familiar low voice of a woman was heard somewhere near where Alex was facing, probably standing right by the bed and looking down at her with such pity. She opened her eyes to see it for herself, only to find out that she was almost right, except for the pity part.

Alex had to laugh at herself before spotting a pair of bare feet on the floor, smooth and toned pale legs standing right in front of her and ending below the hems of a navy blue sweater that she knew she had on last night. The woman wearing it now is looking down at her with glowing light-green eyes, messy long ebony hair flowing over the right shoulder, an impish grin on her lips and a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. Alex almost forgot that she flew in to Metropolis last night to spend a special weekend with her girlfriend.

"What time is it?" She asked groggily, squinting.

"Rise and shine, Doctor. I made brunch." Lena said in her fiery good morning voice as she sets the coffee down the bedside table. She sat by the edge of the bed and leaned down to savor the mess of sleepy brown eyes and mahogany hair all over the pillow, before delivering a series of soft kisses on Alex's lips and greeting each other with warm smiles, batting eyelashes, soft hey’s and happy anniversary’s.

Alex frowned. "Wait, Doctor? Since when did you start calling me doctor?” She sleepily eyed the sizeable cup of coffee. “Is that mine?"

"Last night?” Lena says with a playful smirk and Alex snorted. “And no, this is mine. Yours is in the kitchen." The Luthor heiress replied as she boops the sleepyhead's nose with her finger before leaving the bed and taking the coffee cup with her.

"Can't I have mine here, please? The bed won't let go of me." Alex groaned with a plea.

"My sheets are white and coffee stains so, try again, Danvers." Lena takes a quiet sip from her coffee as she made her way out of the bedroom.

Alex attempted to get up but the intense pain of hungover in her head pulled her back to bed. "Goddammit! I lost again!?" She yelped in pain and Lena's giggle echoed outside. With a bit of a struggle, she snatched a silky, cream-colored, lacy camisole from the floor and decided to put that on before crawling out of the bedroom.

"Three in a row! And guess who's winning the bet?!" Lena yelled from the kitchen as she sits on a bar stool by the island counter, flipping over a folded newspaper and started to read.

"Do you even have to ask me that? He's a traitor!" Alex exclaimed and chuckled with pride as she successfully walks out of the bedroom.

It's exactly been a year since they started doing this kind of routine; the whole family, young Elly included, betting on a drinking competition and who would pass out first between Lena and Alex, every time they'll be spending the night together. The score so far was 9-6 with Lena on the lead, and the bets should include the total number of hours that the loser was out.

"He checked in this morning. Said they'll have a pizza party at Kara's tonight, his treat." Lena said as a smile spreads across her face after a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind. "He knows his mother too damn well."

Alex sniffs happily under the long dark hair that she just buried her face into. "Again? How much did he won this time, exactly?" She lets go of her to take a sip from her coffee that's been waiting for her on the counter, and a bite off a French toast from the plate filled with breakfast. "Hmm."

"He didn't say. But you do know everyone's letting him win on purpose, right?" Lena swiveled on her seat to face Alex, who on the other hand, slipped herself between her pale legs and wrapped an arm over her shoulder.

"Because everyone loves the kind of parties he throw. Wait, how much did you wager against me?" Alex asks while Lena takes a bite from the toast offered to her before answering.

"Umm...enough to throw a decent pizza party?" The heiress shamelessly replied before taking another sip from her coffee.

"Wha-? Lee, you're spoiling him! Maybe we should do this in secret more often." Alex whines as she smiled lovingly at her girlfriend, and at the fact that this thing with Lena Luthor have been working out pretty damn well so far, just like how Elly had anticipated.

"Hmm...sounds pretty exciting."

"Anyway, I...I had a great time last night." The DEO director whispers, letting a gentle laugh out as she privately recalls tiny fragments of the night before, in her mind.

"Yeah, me too." Lena tilts her head to the side, exposing her neck for Alex to feast her eyes on. "After having to literally drag your drunk ass to bed by your feet." She teased, rolling her eyes in which Alex embarrassingly snorted to.

"Oh, I wasn't really out. I've been letting you score all this time because I know how much you hate losing." Alex playfully twirls a lock of Lena's hair around her finger.

"Yeah, right. I can't tell when someone's totally bluffing." Lena slips a hand around Alex's waist and slowly pulled her in closer, making their faces only inches apart. "Though, I did remember that it took you about thirty minutes of recovery before picking yourself up off the floor and..."

"Don't underestimate me, Luthor." Alex whispers, breathing in coffee scented air as she lets herself drown in light-green eyes. "I do what I gotta do to get what I want."

"Oh. Something we have in common, then."

 

* * *

 

Skater started from the alley and breaks into a run, his eyes creating invisible lines of accuracy from point A to point B then to C and D. Tiny drops of sweat formed on his forehead while the yellow green turtle, bright pink jelly fish and other sea creatures that were skillfully inked to cover his left arm seemed to glow under the morning sun. His feet left the ground as his hands swayed on his sides and prepared to make contact with the wall to push it and using that force to throw his body upwards, jumping from one point to another, over, under, through and in-between as if he was weightless. In a matter of seconds, with such speed and precision, he was standing on top of a seven-story building without even taking a single breath. Some would call it parkour. Others, free-running. But to him, he simply called it life.

“H-help!”

As pathetic as it may sound, it was all he could say after missing the third floor window ledge by an inch and his reliable foot betrayed him as it slipped on the rain-drenched wall of an apartment building. He laid with his back on the wet pavement, a fluffy pastel pink Care Bear in his hand as light shower of rain pierced his eyes. The night was quiet and silent police sirens blared in the far distance somewhere beyond the city. He found himself sobbing, maybe in fear, worry, or pain, he wasn’t sure.

_No. Not today._

But he was sure his bones were broken. His knees, actually, and even his elbow. He felt helpless. He can’t move or feel any part of his body. That was when a man, probably ten years older than him, with a scruffy beard, towered before him; steel-toed shoes crunched on the ground as he walked. The man lowered himself to look at him with such curiosity in his eyes, darting from his own to the teddy bear in his hand, that he didn’t know was twisted in a weird angle, then up to the window that he fell from and back to his scared pained eyes.

“That for your kid?” The man asks as his eyes darted on the teddy bear again. It was unwrapped, its fluffy legs splattered with mud and still has its price tag on it.

“N-No.” He replied. He was only seventeen.

“Uh-huh.” The man responded, unconvinced and obviously wanted to hear more.

Skater took a deep breath but half-way through, there was a searing pain on his side, causing him to cough up blood out of his mouth. A broken rib, perhaps? _No._

“My ex…”

“For your ex?” The man asked without even flinching, trying to confirm if what he heard was right.

“No. She-she had a daughter, Izzy. N-not mine.” He stuttered, trying to talk in-between shortened breaths.

“Oh?” The man said, as if unconvinced nor impressed.

It was probably one of the most embarrassing things he’d ever done in his life, confessing to something he does that his friends thought was stupid. But if this is what it will take to get help, on this day and right at this moment, he’d take it. He let out a loud groan from the pain after an attempt to laugh at himself.

“Let me guess…the girl broke up with you because she thinks you’re some pathetic, young, stupid, and good-for-nothing teenage boy, to cover for her fatherless child?” The man implied.

“Hah!” Skater had to let out a short laugh at the accuracy. “Sh-she’s grown on me. She’s four.” He replied, followed with another short laugh that failed again after another stabbing pain pierced his neck. He can feel the rain trickling down his face, slipping inside his ear but didn’t know that it was actually his own blood. “To-today’s her birthday.”

The man took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly full with concern and empathy. “Listen, you uhh…you wanna live, boy?”

“Yes!” He replied even before the man finished his question.

“I’m not gonna ask you to work for me, but…will you work _with_ me?” The man asked.

“Any-anything.” Skater shortly replied before swallowing and tasting the thickness of his own blood.

The man let out a sigh before taking something out of his jacket. A syringe filled with black substance inside.

“This is gonna hurt a li-ttle, tiny bit, but you’ll be fine right after, okay?” The man said. “Just try to relax, kid. I got you.” And he pushed the syringe right down in the middle of his chest, forced the substance down with his thumb while a wide mischievous smile spreads across his face, excitement sparking out of his eyes.

Skater takes another deep breath with his eyes closed as he listened. The wind softly blowing in a certain direction, cars honking down below in the far distance, a couple of children laughing as they run after a dog, its paws scraping the concrete pavement as it ran, people chatting, laughing, calling out to one another with lively greetings, as the morning rush sets in, right in the heart of National City. He exhales and broke into another run, slow at first and gathering speed, his gray hair becoming a blur. Then he jumped off from the edge of the building and landing on top of the next one, rolling once right in the middle, and taking another three large steps or two before making another jump onto the next rooftop with such accuracy.

He’s been practicing, honing his skills, almost non-stop to get better ever since that day. Always useful for getting away and escape from almost anything, even death. And he’s doing it willingly and oh-so-efficiently, making the Cap more proud. It’s been a long while since he received the last instructions from The Caretaker to lay low, giving him enough time to prove his worth and his loyalty to him.

 

* * *

 

Lena stared out of the full length glass windows to watch the Metropolis skyline turn from pinkish indigo to purply navy. The sweet glass of wine in her hand was for washing down whatever it is that she had a little while ago. When she whirled around, her Luthor smirk stretched across her face at the sight of a half-empty bottle and shot glasses on the coffee table, right beside a soft-looking Alex completely passed out on the floor. Again. They were in the middle of enjoying their first anniversary dinner that evening, when they ended up mocking each other to have an exclusive round of Drink&Drop just between the two of them - just because. Then things got slightly out of hand when someone got a little carried away.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. But then, Lena found herself enjoying it. Every bit of it; something she didn't expect. Twelve months in and she knows she's getting better at it. Alex is a great companion. The DEO director knows her way around things, and tries her best to get things done. Sometimes, even goes out of her way. She's such a clever badass, a very tough one, but could be overprotective at times. She worries too much, caring and always considerate, cool when she's awake and sober, and cute when she's not. Not to mention, hot and surprisingly sexy in private. Oh, and in bed? _OH_.

Lena sat on the floor of her Metropolis penthouse, admiring Alex, who was curled up on the carpet like a fluffy cat. She gazed fondly at the DEO Director, feeling grateful for the kind of relationship they have. Pixie locks of dark hair covered her face and Lena can't help but sweep it to the side with a gentle caress. Alex is cute when she's asleep, like she was vulnerable, pure, innocent and harmless. Lena liked that; being in the front row seat to see that side of Alex. The CEO feasted on the view for a few more minutes, before planting a soft kiss on the woman's jaw, and gently tracing a finger along her clavicle to wake her up. Alex grunted.

"What are you doing on the floor, doctor?" Lena whispered softly, teasing her. She let a few seconds pass, and with her eyes still shut, Alex started laughing softly after realising where she was.

"Dropped my pen." Alex mumbled in a soft raspy voice as she half-opened her eyes to a snickering Lena. "How long was I out?"

"Not long." Lena replied, pursing her lips to hold back a smirk and Alex just gazed back at her with sleepy eyes. "Just try getting onto the couch."

Alex sighed before trying to move, fighting off every complaint of her numbing muscles. Her head felt so heavy, way more than when she woke up this morning. "Ow. What poison did you give me, Luthor?"

"Umm...that was a vintage."

Alex groaned as she exhaled deeply in relief after making it to the couch like she just finished a 3k run with her eyes half-closed, not seeing but totally aware of the amused look that her girlfriend was giving her. "I can feel your eyes on me, Lee." She mumbled.

"You're adorable when you're drunk, I can't help it." Lena said while biting her lower lip, to hide her smile.

Alex just smiled and shook her head lightly. She heard glasses clinking and getting arranged on a tray.

"Lena?" Alex groggily called with her eyes closed.

"Hm?"

"Please don't tell him." Alex mumbled, her eyes still shut.

"We both signed NDAs, don't you remember?" The heiress sarcastically responded.

"No." Alex muttered. "Just promise me, you won't tell him." She added without even opening her eyes.

"Your secret's safe with me, doctor. Promise." Lena reassured her and continued clearing the coffee table, and was a little surprised to see how they almost finished a rare bottle of Macallan that night alone.

"I suck at this, don't I?" Alex suddenly mumbled.

"Not entirely. You're pretty impressive, actually. Forty minutes after passing out, and you're talking to me again. Old sots would need at least an hour or two, while my brother only needed half. You're catching up."

"Wow. I feel better now."

"You should get some rest."

"You're beautiful, Lena. I see you." Alex mumbled again, smiling weakly this time.

"Oh, really? You can't even open your eyes, Alex." Lena snorted, but was actually blushing.

"A little drunk maybe?" Alex mumbled and started to ramble groggily. "Maybe I don't know how real any of this is, or maybe I don't really care if it's not, but I'm not seeing things. You're brilliant, and kind and amazing. I never saw you like this before, but I do now. You're a wonderful mom." She said with a soft smile. "To Elly."

"Okay, that's too much drinking for toni..."

"You always had this connection with him, and he with you, even if you're way out here. He never said it out loud, but I know it. He looks up to you and you mean the world to him." Alex continued.

"Alex, I didn't...are you...?" Lena's voice trailed off, as pins and needles started to crawl up from her back.

"He loves me, yes. But I bet he loves you and Kara just as much. And you two? Kara and Lena? Best friends? Well, used to be. Hah!" Alex's smile faded. "I have no idea what really happened between you two, but I always knew you liked my sister."

"Okay, you need to stop." Lena suddenly snapped, getting a little pissed but more antsy.

"But that's okay, Lena, I'm not mad, or surprised, really. In fact, I still love you, and I really care about you, and I know you really care about me too, same way you care about Kara and Elly. And I love my sister, though we're not really related; and I love my son, though he's not really mine..."

Lena sighed, her patience hanging by a thread. "Alex, I think you should..."

"Point is, I love you all so much, equally. And deeply. You hear me? You, and Kara, and Elly, and I'm not gonna choose between the three of you if it ever comes down to it, no." Alex was shaking her head slightly. "Uh-uh. Never."

Lena didn't know what to say. With flushed cheeks, she just gazed blankly at her, watching Alex carefully, whose eyes were shut the whole time. But Lena's heart was racing, wondering. _Was she sleep talking?_ _What if she's not?_

"Get some rest, Alex." Lena said softly, feeling somewhat a little worried, a little overwhelmed, and a little nervous. _Or maybe it's just the alcohol?_

"I love you, Lena. We love you. Remember that." Alex softly mumbled, followed by a quiet snore.

Lena snorted, feeling a bit warmer inside at that. "I love you too." She softy replied, and took a deep breath before heading to the kitchen when she heard Alex mumble again, followed by a louder snore this time.

"I know he's your son."  
  
  
  
  



	6. The Legend of the Black Martian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nia was finally able to return to her dream of the funeral from before and J'onn was left puzzled after meeting another race from his home planet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always suspected that Nia has a "platonic baby crush" on Elly. Hmmm...
> 
> Physical features of the Black Martian depicted on this fic was derived from the Barsoom stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs.

 

 

Nia blinked towards the blinding light above her, only to find that there was Elly, handsome on a black suit and tie, looking down at her with a blank expression on his face. Soft wind seemed to be blowing his long brown hair as a handful of dirt slowly slips out of his hand that he was holding out. Nia can’t help but smile at how adorable he would always look, when he pushes the middle of his glasses back up to his nose with his middle and ring finger.

 

“Elly?” She tried to call out to him but he didn’t seem to hear, leaving her there, surrounded by darkness. Then there were a few other faces after him, looking down at her. Some she recognized and some she didn’t.

 

That’s when Nia noticed where she was. It was a grave, six feet under, or maybe deeper. She felt a sudden skip in her heartbeat and a sudden flush of fear crashing over her when she realized that it was her, lying inside the casket. But knowing fully well that it was all just a dream, she found it easier to fight the urge to wake up and carried on instead. And besides, she had been waiting for a pretty long while, just to return to this dream. From inside the casket, Nia saw a floating figure in the sky, with a red cape, blue suit and long blonde hair.

 

“Supergirl.” She whispered, as the heroine slowly landed nearby.

 

Supergirl looked down at her with a stern face and flushed cheeks, probably from crying. She held out a handful of dirt to scatter, when suddenly, Nia saw flashes of a dark figure in place of the Kryptonian, giving her the impression that it was actually a different person, and not Supergirl. Nia blinked and squeezed her eyes shut to take a better look, fighting off the numbing that her legs were starting to feel from lying on her back for too long. The dark figure kept returning in flashes, until it finally stopped at it was Supergirl again.

 

Handfuls of dirt kept showering down on her, covering her view. And as the light slowly vanish, a face suddenly appears in the dark right in front of her, their noses inches apart and making Nia flinch on instinct. She quickly closed her eyes shut out of fear, but the face has already imprinted on her mind, having an impish smile and spooky dark eyes staring back at her. She kept her eyes closed while her heart raced along with her breathing.

 

 _Is it wrong to feel scared when you dream of yourself in a casket and coming face to face with death himself only to find him smiling back at you like a maniac?_ Nia tried to swallow, but it was harder, especially when your throat has gone dry. She started counting in her head, expecting to wake up from this dream when she reached ten, and back to the privacy and safety of her own room. _Okay, make it twenty._ By nine, her breathing started to slow down and by sixteen, her heartbeat was back to normal. When she finally opened her eyes, there was this blinding light again. _Is it morning already? Was I gone that long?_

 

Nia blinked, only to find herself in another casket. Or was it? But she was surrounded by light. As it turns out, it was a cylindrical enclosure made of glass, which was suddenly filled with water, or some kind of liquid. Fear started coming back to her and quickly turning into panic. Her instincts told her to pound on the glass to ask for help. She opened her mouth to call but it only made the last of her air escape. She can see someone on the other side of the glass, standing right in front of her, watching. It was of a familiar bluish figure in black tight clothes, with three glowing stones on its forehead.

 

“Brainy?!” Nia screamed, but the liquid only filled her mouth. She kept pounding on the glass, panic slowly getting the best of her. “Brainy!!!” She tried one more time, but he can’t seem to hear her. Nia attempted to fight the laws of her dream by trying to take a deep breath despite the situation, but the liquid only filled her lungs. She was failing, and she’s about to pass out. Her eyes started to droop at the sight of Brainy, with his face damn serious as if deep in his normal thoughts of hypothesis, equations and calculations. Nia pounded on the glass one last time, but she felt weak. Then there was a sudden shiver down her spine when his lips slowly curled up into a smirk.

 

Nia suddenly rolled out of bed and fell on the floor with a loud thud. She groaned in pain but was more than glad to finally be back in her bedroom though her legs screamed from numbness and from falling, a little distracted by her desperate coughs as she struggled for air like she just got rescued from drowning. She took the deepest, longest breath she could, like there was no tomorrow, inhaling all the air in her room and forcing it down, bringing back life to her lungs. She was soaked in her own sweat, a thin layer of coldness suddenly embracing her body. Her bedroom door suddenly flew open, and her roommate’s concerned face appeared.

 

“Y’alright, hun?! You were screamin’ like you were in a zombie apocalypse.”

 

“Sorry! Just another nightmare.” Nia replied apologetically, forcing out an awkward smile.

 

“They’re gettin’ worse, hun. Toldya to stop watchin’ those movies alone at night. I’ll getcha some water.”

 

“Thanks!” Nia let out a series of sighs of relief, grateful for having such a sweet roommate and finally getting out of that dream, after years of waiting and practicing to finally get back in it.

 

* * *

 

 

“There’s nothing much going on, aside from the usual muggings by this time of the night.”

 

J’onn started as they look onto the busy city before them. They’ve been scanning the skies of National City for the past hour to patrol the area, and meeting again right atop the NC Tower, which was the heart of the city.

 

“It’s gonna rain, I can smell it.” Supergirl took a deep breath and looked up the dark gray clouds far beyond, waiting patiently for the incoming drizzle. “I really like the smell of rain here.”

 

“So do I.” J’onn looked up, smiling in the same direction, as lightning flashed quietly from left to right in the far distance, followed by soft grumbles of thunder, and the night breeze filling their lungs.

 

And there it was, about a few minutes later, the first drizzle, a thin layer of blurriness over the city. Their smiles grew wider as the drops of rain coming from the skies became bigger, their skin already tingling and ready to collide with the cool sensation. They watched it, every little drop that would fall on their faces, and in slow motion, were like tiny streaks of falling stars made out of water.

 

On instinct, J’onn closes his eyes as a drop of rain approaches and about to hit him straight in the eye. And squeezing his eyes shut like an excited child to be tickled by the rain, he waited.

 

_Three, two, one, and…_

 

But as odd as it may seem, the drop of rain never came. In fact, none of it seemed to be touching his skin. Everything suddenly feels so quiet, not even a single sound of honking cars or thunder or the soft falling of the rain on concrete rooftops. None.

 

_One, two, three…_

 

J’onn kept his eyes closed to listen closely. Has he gone deaf? Or was the wind blowing a little harder this time?

 

_Four, five, six, seven…_

 

When J’onn finally opened his eyes out of curiosity, he came to find himself standing alone on top of the same tower. Supergirl wasn’t there anymore. He looked around to check if she might just be playing pranks on him, knowing how Kara could act like a child sometimes when she’s in the mood.

 

"Supergirl?" He listened intently, focusing on the sound that the blonde Kryptonian usually makes when she moves – nothing. That’s when he noticed what was really happening.

 

The tiny drops of rain were hanging in mid-air and everything fell silent, frozen, like time itself has stopped. Even the colors of the city was gone. Lights of blue and yellow, the tricolor stoplights, the taxi cabs, the trees, and the patch of grass in the football field of a distant high school – everything. Everything turned to black, white and gray.

 

 _“Help him.”_ A voice suddenly called.

 

J’onn’s eyes glowed red as he uses his powers to read through the situation; scanning, to detect what kind of trickery this could possibly be. At first, there were only flashes of colors of the city before him. Then flashes of sound, of thunder, of explosions, of screaming and crying. And then of Supergirl on her blue suit, lying unconscious, the S symbol on her chest covered in blood.

 

“Who’s there?” J’onn asks, his voice suddenly suspicious and alert.

 

_“Do not fear, J’onn J’onzz, son of M’yrnn.”_

 

A cold, calm voice echoed somewhere in the distance. It was loud at first, as if it was yelling right on his ear, making J’onn flinch a bit, but then adjusted to his normal hearing. Something about the voice mentioning his and his father’s name made him feel less threatened.

 

“Who are you?” The Martian Manhunter asked, his tone more calm.

 

 _“An ally.”_ The voice replied, and a gust of soft wind blew, sending a sudden shiver at the back of J’onn’s head in his green Martian form. _“I have brought a warning. A war is coming. And a young hero will rise in the midst. You must help him.”_ The voice continued.

 

“I don’t believe you. Show yourself!” J’onn demanded.

 

He saw movement, not too far away. It was a quick flash of a flying animal. Was it a large bat? _No, bats don’t move like that._ It was too dark to see properly. It was gliding before him, diving down and then soaring high up again like it was showing off its flying skills until it flew closer. It was a large black bird. More specifically a crow, about the size of a bald eagle, gliding towards him. With its black beady eyes, shiny beak as large as it’s head and sharp talons that looked as if it was about to attack him. J’onn’s eyes glowed redder, preparing for the crow to rip his green skin open. But just like the surrounding drops of water, it stopped right in front of him, with it’s black polished wings spread out wide like it was about to attack, marveling the bright golden patch on its chest. The bird was way darker than the night, than everything, but strangely enough, J’onn found it fascinating.

 

Then there was a sudden flash of a human-like being, but not quite, floating right in front of him where the crow had been. Was it inside his mind again? The flashes continued. Of the crow turning into the human-like being and back to being a crow again.

 

“Show yourself.” J’onn repeated, his voice commanding but more calm this time. The crow disappeared and was permanently replaced by the human-like being, floating gracefully in mid-air right before him. J’onn took his time to examine it carefully, noticing the “it” as a tall dark specie of a male humanoid.

 

He stood about seven feet, the gentle wind blowing his incredibly long, silky black hair down to his knees, with every strand seeming to know how to behave. J’onn didn’t see any irises or the surrounding white areas in his eyes. Instead, they were filled with total darkness, looking back at him blankly like it was staring right through his soul. He was handsome for a humanoid and looked quite young, around mid-twenties if to be compared with a human male, and his body was very well toned. Not too muscular, but robust enough to be recognized as a seasoned warrior, evident by what he was wearing. He was almost topless, his torso would’ve been bare if not only for the harness across his chest, bracers on his wrists and arm bands as armor for his upper body, all in gleaming gold. The only thing about him that sets him apart from an ancient human warrior was the color of his very skin. Dark wings disappeared and was replaced with what appeared to be skin, the color of polished dark ebony. It was quite a sight; the gold accents almost blinding against shiny black skin, while a soft smile slowly formed on the dark being’s thin lips, bringing J’onn back to his senses.

 

“What are you?” J’onn curiously asked, like he was somehow mesmerized for not recognizing the kind of specie before him.

 

“We are more the same, son of M’yrnn. I was of the same planet.” It answered without even moving or parting his lips but J’onn can hear him loud and clear.

 

“You’re…you’re a Black Martian?!” J’onn gasped.

 

“Indeed.”

 

At that, J’onn sprang into action, preparing to defend himself and attack if necessary, as fear started to creep underneath his skin. The worried look on his face clearly tells that he feels more threatened now than he was, just a minute earlier.

 

“Hush, Green Martian. I come in peace.” The Black Martian calmly responded, and with only a slight wave of his fingers, J’onn seemed to have frozen in place, unable to move.

 

“I-I thought they w-were only le-legends?” J’onn stammered in gritted teeth as drops of sweat dribbled on his forehead. He struggled to free himself from the bind with a tinge of panic in his voice.

 

“Yet, written in the sacred scrolls.” The Black Martian answered softly and slightly tilting his head that seemed to have loosened the bind a little, just enough to allow J’onn to breathe and speak properly.

 

“They were said to posses god-like powers, abilities that are far superior than the rest of the Martian race! They waged wars against the lesser kind and anywhere they go, turning their captives into slaves and devour them when they feel like it!” J’onn growled with such disdain, anger fully visible on his face.

 

“Indeed. I was one of the many who achieved the thousand year lifespan, made the final pilgrimage to the River Iss to Valley Dor, to receive the blessing of the goddess Issus.” The Black Martian casually admitted with a weak smile like it meant nothing at all.

 

“The gift of immortality and peace.” J’onn continued, still unable to move but remembering fully well of the knowledge that had been passed down to him.

 

“A lie all along.” The Black Martian continued, his voice still cold and calm. “It was in fact, a banishment rite; the curse of the gods.” He added, his smile vanishing and was replaced with what appeared to be sadness, the blankness from his eyes creating a hollowness inside of J’onn’s chest.

 

J’onn seemed to be a little confused, puzzled by the cryptic revelation. In the sacred scrolls, the Blacks were the First Martians. They were dangerous, vile and feared, causing all other Martian species to unite and rise up against them. He doesn’t want to believe it. But he felt it, saw it, how the sadness of this being before him goes deeper than his blank eyes and was darker than his past or the color of his skin. Heavy, like he was suddenly lying on his back, and way deep down under the cold heart of the ocean, with no one else, nothing else, not even air to breathe in; an ocean where the surface was covered with miles and miles of mountainous ice, sealing him underneath for the rest of his life – nowhere else to go but to sink deeper to the unknown.

 

“And why would they do that? Your kind was superior, the first of their creation!” The Manhunter asked in disbelief as a tear rolled down his cheek without him knowing, his heart beating fast.

 

“The First Born, we called ourselves, yes.” The Black Martian replied, the blankness still in his eyes. “Yet the gods regretted ever creating us, loathed of our very existence. I had to live and endure more than a thousand years to finally concede.” He continued, his weak smile slowly returning.

 

“Are there others like you?” J’onn asks, his voice suddenly softening.

 

“Scattered across the vastness of the universe.” The Black Martian blinked.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

“Banished. Unable to leave this neighboring planet. Blue, but rotting away and revoltingly chaotic up close. Quite the opposite of peaceful, yet strangely, still quite as beautiful in so many little ways as it was from a distance.” The Black Martian answered, his cold and soft voice sounding a little amused.

 

“The warning you said earlier…”

 

“We are more the same than you think, Green Martian. I have been watching.”

 

J’onn only had to blink once and suddenly, he felt the cold breeze sending shivers all over his sweat and rain drenched body. There was a soft poking of a finger on his cheek that made him jump a little. He turned to find a puzzled Supergirl right beside him, staring at him like he was not being himself.

 

“J’onn? Are you okay? You blanked out for a few seconds.” She said with such concern.

 

J’onn looked around and everything was back to normal. He can hear the city and see the colors clearly again. The rain has already stopped, leaving only the scent of rain-dampened concrete in the air. “I’m fine.” He replied, as he looked around and stared at the empty space before him where the First Born had been.

 


	7. Is Hanging Out Considered a Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elly asks the new girl to hang out after school.  
> Mama Alex freaks out.  
> So does Lena. And Kara. And also Nia.

 

“Special delivery for Colonel Haley?”

 

Supergirl flew into the DEO headquarters, carrying a completely unconscious Skater by the scruff of his shirt like a kitten, one fine afternoon. He was already bound by power dampener cuffs on both his wrists and ankles.

 

Colonel Haley whirled around to see the Kryptonian landing smoothly on the main lobby.

 

“Found this one running around the rooftops.” The Kryptonian heroine sets the terrorist on the floor with a thud.

 

“Thank you, Supergirl. Great work!” Haley greeted her casually, an unusual smile spreading across her face.

 

“Wait…is that what I think it is?” Supergirl asked in disbelief. A bit skeptic, while a crack of smile formed on her own lips. “I’m sorry Colonel Haley, but…are you smiling?”

 

“It’s been a good month, Supergirl.” Haley just nodded, her smile still visible. “We caught another one from the squad the other week. The big one.”

 

“Elmo?!? You caught him?!?” Supergirl exclaimed in fake surprise, as if Alex hadn’t told her yet, the exact same day that he was captured. “Jeez! I can’t even get my hands on that one!”

 

“Our team had been tirelessly planning for his capture for the past year, so...” Haley nodded to confirm.

 

“Wow! That’s good news! Congratulations!” Supergirl tried her best to be formal and offered her hand which the Colonel gladly gave a firm shake, but it was her sunny smile that she cannot contain. “Congratulations, guys! Good work! I’m proud of you!” The heroine called out to all the agents around them at the moment, and a few silent  _Thank you,_ _Supergirl!_  followed.

 

“Yes, good news indeed.” Haley agreed.

 

“Any casualties?” Supergirl asked with concern.

 

“Just a few broken bones here and there, but…it was worth it.” Haley answered, hiding the fact that about twenty among thirty of her agents were badly injured. "If it's not too much to ask, Supergirl, it would mean a lot if you could pay them a visit."

 

“Sure! I'm glad you asked." Supergirl assured the colonel.

 

"Very well, as you were." Haley nodded and they both parted ways.

_Well, it’s still a good day for National City._  Supergirl tells herself as she smiled and greeted everyone she meets along the way to the DEO recovery room.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Hey, Ma?” Elly suddenly called, while sitting on his study desk that evening, and was just about to finish doing his homework in Statistics.

 

“Yah?” Alex answered from the kitchen as she prepared their dinner.

 

“Can I have an extra ten for tomorrow? I’m gonna hang out with a new friend.” Elly casually asked, without even looking up from his desk.

 

“Ten? Hmm. And where are you gonna take this new friend of yours, if I may ask?” Alex throws a short glance to his direction, looking up from what she was cooking.

 

“Probably Tony’s and Krypton Park. Or the mall, maybe? She’s new in town.” He answered, still buried on his desk.

 

“Okay, sure. No problem.”

 

“Thanks!”

 

Alex was in the middle of stirring the pot of soup on the stove, when her eyes suddenly widened, repeating Elly's answer inside her head all over again. “Wait, did you said  _she_?” She asked her son who is now having her full attention, unaware that she was almost letting the soup stick to the pot even if it wasn't supposed to.

 

“Uhh…yeah?” Elly shortly replied.

 

“And she’s new in town, you said?” Alex asked again, blinking at him, forgetting that it was time to turn off the stove.

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“You’re…you’re gonna hang out tomorrow with…?” Alex stammered a bit, finding herself a little lost in her tiny kitchen, going back and forth the stove and the counter, forgetting that she had to get a bowl for the vegetables.

 

“Leila. Her name is Leila. She transferred from Keystone City. I didn’t catch her last name, though.” Elly replied, while opening his notes on Lab Research.

 

 _Details! More details, please?!_  Alex almost yelled it out loud. Good thing, the words didn’t made it out of her lips, or else, she would’ve sounded a little freaked out and so-not-cool if it did. So instead, she took her time to calm herself down a bit. “Hmmmm…intriguing.” She ended up saying.  _That's b_ _etter, right?_

 

Elly let out a sigh accompanied by an amused smile that he kept to himself. He knew very well that Alex was more than just intrigued.  _She’s probably freaking out right now, anxious or probably jealous._  He threw a side glance at his mother, doing her thing in the kitchen and noticed she was wiping the same set of spoon and fork with a hand towel, over and over again.  _Okay, that is weird._  He pretended not to notice and kept on doing his homework on his desk.

 

“She was in my Research class and I saw her being bullied by a bunch of girls after the bell. They laughed at her and called her a vampire and a lot of other horrible things, because she had unusual pale skin and really dark hair.” He casually explained, answering almost everything that was in Alex’s mind. “I gave her a hug after, then asked if she wanted to hang out tomorrow after school.”

 

“Wha – excuse me?”  _A hug? Really?_  Alex whispered to herself. “Just because her skin was pale? And when exactly did this happen?” She asks.

 

“The other day. It was just a hug, Ma. She was about to cry.” Elly replied, answering another one of his mama’s unspoken questions.

 

“Aww. That’s really nice of you. Cool!” Alex nodded approvingly and was actually a little impressed. “Does her parents know about this? Or should I call them first? And is Razz coming too?”

 

“No need to call. She said she already told her mom, who just said,  _“okay, be home before seven”_. And oh, Razz had to help his dad at the shop so, no, it’s just us two.” Elly answered.

 

“Really? Hmmmm.” Alex stood by the dining table, a hand on her waist and the other, leaning against the back of a chair while squinting at her son. “Need a chaperone? It's James' turn tomorrow, right?”

 

“Umm…I think we can manage.” Elly met her gaze, confidently raising his eyebrows at her and tilted his head to the side, as if asking his mother if she approves and if she has any more questions so that he could proceed with his homework. “But, thanks.”

 

“Are you sure? Because we have a few sets of extra hands.” Alex insisted, referring to Kara or Brainy or Nia, while giving him a satisfying nod.

 

“You all have work. Besides, I’m only gonna show her where I usually hang out.” The boy replied.

 

“Okay. Then I’ll pick you guys up after school and drop you off at Tony’s tomorrow. Yah?”

 

“Deal! And no stalking!” Elly snapped at her.

 

Alex held up her hands in surrender. “Okay! Jeez! Just…please, don’t be a heart breaker.”

 

Elly sighed. “Please be honest with me, Ma. Have I ever had your heart broken? Like…ever?”

 

Alex’s face softened, a smile spreading across her blushing face. “Hmmm...” She sweetly replied, almost in a singing tone and Elly just shrugged in a pout, making his point clear.

 

“You’re my little Ned Stark.” Alex softly said, sounding a little relieved.

 

“Ugh. Maaa…” Elly groaned.

 

"He loved Cat and the girls so much!" Alex argued.

 

"And lost his head anyway. He didn't even made it to Season 2!" Elly countered.

 

“Okay! Dinner time!” Alex clapped and gestured him to come to the dining table.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“We only have three more to go, J’onn. We’re halfway there.”

 

Supergirl said over her comms, talking to the Martian Manhunter on the other end and referring to the terrorist squad, as they patrolled the skies of National City, on opposite ends that same night.

 

“Glad that all the hard work is finally starting to pay off.” J’onn replied. “How’s little Danvers doing, by the way? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

 

“He’s alright. He’s actually doing great in school. A cool nerd just like his mom.” The blonde Kryptonian answered with a chuckle.

 

"More like you." J'onn corrected her, and Supergirl's hearty laughter echoed in the other end of the city. “So, not into dating yet?” He suddenly asks, chuckling lightly.

 

“Meh. Not that I know of. He’s only twelve. I don’t think he’s into that kind of thing yet. I told you, he’s such a nerd. Cool, perhaps, but still a nerd.” Kara snickered.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“James?”

 

Alex sounded a little troubled when James picked up. She’s been sitting inside her parked car in the garage across their apartment building for around thirty minutes – freaking out. Not to mention, rehearsing and deciding what to say, how to say it and what to ask. She had already imagined scenes in her head, almost cried, and been hesitantly thinking who to call first and tell the terrible news to. Kara? James? J’onn? Or maybe Lena? No, she’s too far and probably too busy to have another thing to worry about.

 

“Hey, Alex! What’s up? I was just about to…” James started.

 

“He’s going on a date tomorrow! I’m…Am I allowed to freak out? I am, right? Because I am! I think...” Alex suddenly cuts in, breathing heavily and almost stuttering.

 

“…head home, is everything oka-…what?” James was suddenly confused.

 

“He-he just told me, a while ago, right before dinner? That…that he asked a girl out the other day, like, on a date? I-I think? And he said he-he hugged her and…”

 

“Wa-wa-wait, what? Wait, hold on a second. Alex? Okay, calm down. It’s okay. Just breathe, come on, you can do it.” James calmly responded and slowly breathes in and out by himself, while Alex mimics him three times from the other end. “Okay, are you with me now?”

 

“Yeah. I think so?” Alex responded, her voice still a little nervous.

 

“Now, slowly? Tell me exactly what he said.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Elly! Darling, I’m glad you called. How are you?” Lena answered, her deep voice a little raspy. She was already smiling even before swiping the answer button.

 

“Hi! Umm...is it a bad time?” Elly asks over the phone as he enjoys the cool breeze from the balcony.

 

"Oh, no, no! It’s perfect timing, actually. I’m just taking a little break from work. What’s up?” Lena sighed and swiveled her chair around as she squeezed her eyes shut. She lightly pressed the bridge of her nose with two fingers, somehow sending a string of calmness in her nerves. A wide smile was spreading across her face, slowly getting rid of her exhaustion, all because of hearing Elly's voice.

 

“I'm okay. Listen, umm…I just wanna ask you about something.” The youngest Danvers started.

 

“Sure.”  _Anything._  “What is it?” Lena curiously asked.

 

“I umm…there’s this new girl at my school? And I kind of asked her if she wanted to hang out with me and she said yes...”

_Woah! Wait, what?!?!_ “Wait, does Alex know about this?” Lena was lowkey shocked. It was definitely showing on her face, but not a single hint of it from the tone of her voice.

 

“Yeah, I already told her a while ago, before dinner.” Elly answered.

 

“And?”

 

“She’s cool with it. Said she’s gonna pick us up at school tomorrow, then drop us off at Tony’s.” Elly casually explained.

_Tomorrow? And I’m hearing this just now? Dammit,_ _Danvers!_  “Is she going to chaperone? And is Razz coming too?”

 

“She insisted, but I said we're gonna be fine. It’s just gonna be me and her.” Elly said.

 

“Does…her parents know?” Lena asked, her heart starting to beat a little faster.

 

Elly snorted at how familiar those questions sounded. “Yes, Aunt Lena. They do.”  
  
"Do you need a driver? I can have Fred drive for you." Lena insisted.

 

"Oh, no. Please, we're just gonna go at Tony's." Elly replied. "But, thanks."

 

“Oh, okay. So…what was it you were gonna ask me, again?” Lena tried her best to sound cool too, not noticing that she left her chair and already pacing behind her desk in her LCorp Northeast office.

 

“Please don't laugh. And promise you won't tell anyone that I called you about this?" Elly asked, feeling a little shy.

 

"Oh, okay. Promise. Shoot!" Lena casually replied, her heart already racing.

 

"Umm...what is it do you think that we should talk about?"

 

 

* * *

 

 

_I should give myself a relaxing warm bath after this. And pizza. Yah, I deserve that._  Supergirl thought to herself while she was scanning the perimeter with her super hearing one last time before ending her shift. Suddenly, she gets a call from what sounded like a distressed Alex.

 

“Alex? Is everything okay?”

 

“Kara! He’s leaving me! What do I do?” Alex was panting, she sounded a little too scared at the other end of the line.

 

“What? Who’s leaving?” Kara asks in surprise.

 

“Elly!”

 

“Wha-? How? Wait, what’s happening, exactly?!” Kara got confused.

 

“He’s going tomorrow!" Alex sobs.

 

"What do you mean? Going where?" Now Kara sounded a bit worried.

 

"On a date! With a girl that is not me! Or you, or Lena, or Nia…I mean...another girl! Like...his age!” The older Danvers whined over the phone, not bothered by the fact that she's not being herself anymore.

 

“Woah! Woah! Woah! Slow down! Okay, okay…hold on a sec. Wait...breathe...wooh!” Kara swallowed and took more than a couple of deep breaths herself. “Now, spill it!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Just don’t forget to listen. Really listen. The day is about her and making her feel special. But you know what? The most important thing is to have fun. Just…enjoy each other’s company and everything will definitely go smoothly.” Lena finishes, feeling proud of herself for sounding like a cool parent. She felt overwhelmed actually, that Elly wanted to hear her opinion about such things.

 

“Okay. Thanks, Lady Scotch.” Elly responded contently, the smile on his lips reaching the other end of the line.

 

“You’re welcome, darling. Wait…is she cute? And does she have a name?” Lena curiously asked all of a sudden, not really wanting to end their conversation yet.

 

“I…I think she’s alright. She had long dark hair like you. Her name’s Leila.”

 

 _Leila. Hmmm…_  "Care to tell your Aunt Lena more about this dark-haired Leila?" She bravely asked with a sweet tone, but squinting her eyes and holding her breath, fingers crossed and wishing that Elly would allow to share at least a little bit more of information.

 

"Umm...maybe tomorrow, after we hang out? She’s in my Research class, though I don't really know that much about her yet."

 

"Oh, right! Okay. Promise you'd call me?"

 

"I promise." Elly responded.

 

The call had ended, but Lena's heart kept on doing a tap dance inside her chest. She can't believe it. Elly called to ask her about talking to girls, when he could've just asked Alex, or Kara. Or J'onn for his wisdom and years of experience in communicating with people, or probably James because he was like his father figure, or even Brainy and Nia for being the youngest pair in the bunch, but no. He called her. Despite being miles away, Elly called her instead. And she didn't know that having that talk with him would make her feel warm inside and it was, indeed, a little too overwhelming.

_Well, that's a first._

 

Lena can't stop smiling to herself like an idiot, like she was some lovesick teenager getting a call from her ultimate crush for the first time. She can feel it in her tummy and her toes. She felt her cheeks blushing, not wanting to admit that she was, in fact, in love. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever thought she will be allowed nor able to feel this kind of rush; the feeling of being head-over-heels in love with being a mom. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Brainy?!?”

 

“Director Danvers. It’s kinda late. Can I help you?” Brainy asks while he sat on his living room, simulating the best moves in Uno Cards, Cards Against Humanity, Poker and Baccarat, while catching up on a few episodes of his favorite TV Shows and movies that Nia recommended him to watch. He was also watching a few cooking shows, pizza flavors from around the world, and how to make them.

 

“We have an emergency situation! Initiating Mission Hummingbird!” Alex commanded.

 

“Okay. And who exactly is our target this time?” Brainy nodded to himself, a little impressed by what he was seeing from the cooking show.

 

“Elly! Tomorrow after school.” 

 

“Elly? As in, little Danvers – Elly?” He asks, a little unsure if he heard her right.

 

“Baby bird is about to leave the nest!” Alex was almost yelling.

 

“WHAT?!? How is that possible?” Brainy had to pause everything that he was doing so he could focus on what Alex was saying.

 

“Okay, wait, no. Umm…he’s just learning to fly.” Alex clarified, her tone becoming a little more calm.

 

“Oh.”

 

“With a pink baby bird!” She blurted out.

 

“Oh…OH! Oh, no...”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Nia! Are you free tomorrow afternoon?” Kara was almost yelling on her phone, still on her super suit, in J'onn's office and pacing back and forth.

 

“Oh hey, Kara." Nia yawned, her voice was a little groggy. "What's up? I was just in the middle of a dream when you…”

 

“Dumpling’s going on his first date tomorrow and mama bird wants us to go undercover!” Kara exclaimed, getting straight to the point.

 

“Huh? Wait, what? I mean, WHAT?!? Elly?!? On a date?!? Tomorrow?!? And I’m hearing about this just now?!?!” Nia suddenly bolted up from her bed, feeling wide awake after realizing that the call wasn't just a dream.

 

“I know, right? So...are you in, or you're already in?” Kara asked, sounding a little desperate.

 

“Hell, yeah! Count me in!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Oh, come on, Kara. Is that really necessary?” J’onn started to argue.

 

“But it’s his first date!” Kara whined.

 

“Is hanging out considered a date?"

 

"Uhh..."

 

"Then leave me out of it. I’m sorry.” J'onn disagreed for the third time.

 

“J’onn?!?”

 

“Just let him be! He’s learning! Let him do this on his own. He’s not a kid anymore?!” The Martian exclaimed in Elly's defense and in full space dad mode.

 

“It’s his first date with a girl! As in, a girl the same age as him?” Kara repeated for the third time.

 

"You're overthinking this, Kara." J'onn inferred.

 

"It's just the two of them!" Kara stressed on the whole phrase.

 

“It’s Elly! Our Elly! What are you guys getting so worked up for?” J'onn snapped back at her for the third time as well.

 

“Don’t tell me, it’s okay for you to miss it?” Kara countered.

 

“Don’t you trust him?” J'onn asks. "Because I do!"

 

“Oh, I do trust him. It’s  _her_  that I’m worried about! I’m not just gonna sit and watch my kind-hearted little Dumpling get his heart broken. He's too nice.” Kara argued with a pout.

 

“Wha-? Kara...well, he can handle it!" J'onn snapped. "Can’t he?” He added, like he was suddenly so unsure.

 

“Oh, I don’t know. But, do you wanna find out?” Kara asked him with her tone clearly prodding.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_Dammit, Danvers! You should’ve called me like an hour_ ago _!_

 

Lena taps her foot as she stared at her phone lying on her desk. She paced one more time just to clear her nerves, as she feels impatience slowly starting to creep in at the back of her neck, waiting for Alex to call. Lena doesn't make the calls, Alex should always be the one to call her; that's one of their rules. She almost jumped when she receives a text message from Alex that reads: 

 

 

 

 

> _I'm so so sorry I wasn't able to call you. I've been super busy and there's an emergency at the DEO. I'll try to call again later tonight. Btw, one Rad Squad down again!_ _😉_ _Don't forget to eat and get enough sleep. ttys imy_ _❤_

 

 

 _Oh, okay, Danvers. So we are going to deal with this thing, this way, then?_  Lena knew that Alex will be "too tired" again to make that call. She started typing angrily on her phone like there was no tomorrow. "Dammit, Danvers! You are not gonna get away with this!" She muttered loudly to herself with her eyebrows wrinkled, a vein on her forehead about to pop, and her lips puckered in frustration. 

 

 

 

 

> _Congrats! It’s okay, I’ve been busy all day too. Just please be safe and I hope everything goes well at work. And give Elly a kiss for me._ _😘_ _Text me when you get home. imy_ _❤_

 

 

She tapped send forcefully, almost banging her phone on the desk. As the poor clueless phone lied face down, Lena took a deep breath, closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the headrest of her chair. She knew she had to act on her own and fast. When she opened her eyes again, along with a long exhale and a clearer, calmer thinking, she makes a call.

 

“Sam? Clear my afternoon tomorrow. Re-schedule my meetings, or take my place. Just…I won’t be available tomorrow, and please, I don’t want to be bothered. Is that clear? Okay. Good night.”

 

And she made another call right after that. "How's everything working out?"

 

"Hey, boss! Umm...everything's fine, nothing to worry about, great scoops as usual and good headlines for the month, and...I'll send you more updates tomorrow morning." James replied as he crosses the street towards a quiet little Italian restaurant.

 

"Good." Lena shortly replied, squinting her eyes and waiting patiently for him to give her  _the_ scoop she was really after.

 

"And oh, Alex told you about our little man?" James cluelessly asked.

_Hah!_  Lena smiled to herself triumphantly. "He just gave me a call, actually. Told me about his date? I'm glad that he did." She humbly bragged with an amused and almost real laughter in her tone like it was nothing, but the vein in her forehead remained visible.

 

"Oh, that's good! You...you don't sound so bothered at all, that's cool. Alex was pretty anxious." James sniggered by the time he reached the entrance of the restaurant and gestured a table for one at the attendant.

_Oh, she should be!_  "Oh, no, not at all! Besides, he's a good boy, we all know that. He won't do anything that would get him in trouble." The CEO confidently responded.

 

"I know. But still, Alex wanted me to um...give him "the talk". You know what I mean?"

 

"Don't tell me she...James? Did she asked you to give him one of those...?" Lena asks, her back leaving the chair and not realizing that she was on her feet again.

 

"Yup. That talk." James replied as he mouthed a  _thank you_  to the servant who ushered him to his table. Lena groaned on the other end.

 

"James...isn't it...too early?" Lena started pacing slowly, the crinkle between her eyebrows now speaks of her worry and concern for the boy.

 

"She was worried. And the sooner Elly and I have that talk, the better." He answered, glancing at the menu and pointed his order to the waiter.

 

"Well, I'm telling you, he's not gonna take it!" Lena inferred like she was willing to bet on it with a hefty ton of money.

 

"You really think so?" James asked as if in doubt.

 

"Oh, I know so!" Lena inferred.

 

"Well, I was twelve when I got curious. Just saying." James said, lowering his voice.

 

"You were a jock when you were twelve!" Lena snapped at him over the phone, waving her free hand up in the air and then down on her waist like she was clearly making a point.

 

"No, I wasn't! But I was definitely curious." James countered.

 

Lena let out a deep sigh, closed her eyes and gave the bridge of her nose another soft squeeze. "Can't we just...let him enjoy it first? In his own way?"

 

"Listen, Lena...I get what you're saying, and honestly? I think so too. He's not gonna do something that'll get him in trouble, but, you know, I still have to do it. Just to be sure." James clarified.

 

When the call ended, Lena had to pour herself her third serving of scotch for the evening before returning to her chair. She can't believe how everything seemed to be happening so fast, though, the highlight of that day was getting that kind of call from Elly. A smile suddenly breaks across her face, getting rid of all the exhaustion from the past week and the roller coaster of emotions from the last couple of hours.  

 

_He looks up to you..._

 

Alex's words echoed inside her mind once again, as it had always been since their first anniversary dinner. It didn't matter if it was caused by consuming too much whisky or a rare episode of sleep talking; they were music to Lena's ears and she kept them all on repeat.

 

_...and you mean the world to him._

 

Staring at her glass as she gently swirled the alcohol around to let it breathe, she was suddenly reminded of how this scent never fails to calm and bring Elly to sleep, way back from his days in the Wrinkle Room.

 

At first, Lena was impressed and amazed, but also in fact, was afraid of him. The very moment she stood there in front of the Genesis chamber that she created, and watched Elly tore his own way out of the sac that he was in from the day he was supposedly born. She feared him, of what else he can possibly do and the burning, unanswered question of what could she have possibly brought into this world. She even feared that he might be the end of her, kill her accidentally, and break her bones just by letting him wrap his tiny hand around her finger. But he didn't. He was so small and so strong, yet so gentle ever since. 

 

 _"He's a good_   _kid. I'm sure of it."_

 

They were Alex's words from long before and ten years later, still found to be true. Very few words indeed, and a little cliché for the average mind, but they had served as Lena's fuel for a decade now, giving her all the strength and will to keep the Luthor name clean, in hope that someday, one day, Elly would be proud enough to claim it as his.

 

Lena suddenly snapped herself out of that daydream.  _Not too deep, Lena. Don't go too deep._  She reminded herself. And then again, she was brought back to the present, and the task at hand.

 

 


	8. Mission Hummingbird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elly hangs out with the new girl after school. The feels.  
> What an awkward day for the whole Superfriends, J’onn included. (But you won’t find him.)
> 
> Is ravioli a pasta, or a dumpling?

 

“You do know why I’m driving you to school today, right?” James asked.

 

“Yeah, kind of.” Elly mumbled as he sat in the passenger seat of James’ car and stared out the window to watch people on the sidewalk. Kids are making their way to school and the adults are probably getting breakfast before going to work, while others walk and jog with their dogs.

 

“Are you nervous? Because I was when I had my first.” James finally asked after hesitating and rehearsing and rephrasing his words over in his head for the last hour.

 

Elly suddenly turned to him, as if James just said something that piqued his curiosity but didn’t make any sense at all. A few more seconds and a pair of little eyebrows suddenly arched up, eyes wide on the road like he just saw a deer that they were about to run into, but actually only realizing what he truly meant. James felt his face blush, as the boy’s gaze darted from the road ahead, then to him and back to the road again.

 

“Ew!” Elly softly muttered as he shuddered lightly on his seat.

 

“Uh-huh. Uncomfortable, I know. But you’re gonna thank me later, bud.” James softly replied.

 

As uncomfortable as it was for him too for not being able to have that same talk with his own father, James did all the talking anyway while Elly just listened and nodded in response. They had to circle around the entire school three times, before James was finally able to pull over the drop-off point.

 

“You’re not really gonna hand me one of those… _things_ , are you?” Elly asked like it was some kind of a joke.

 

“I know you won’t be needing it yet, but I’m afraid I have to.” James pulls out something from the glove compartment. “Or your ma’s gonna kill me.”

 

Elly groaned and rolled his eyes as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

 

“And your Aunt Lena knew you were gonna react like that.” James snorted. “But you know, when I was your age? Having one of these was cool among the boys.”

 

“You were probably a jock when you were twelve. I am a self-proclaimed immanent nerd.” Elly stated.

 

It made James snigger. “Especially when you’re a nerd, this was a game changer!” He held out a single piece of condom in red packing between his fingers. Elly just glanced at it and snorted, blushing like he was acknowledging the effort of making that moment less uncomfortable by including his favorite color. But the way he shook his head says he’s still far from taking it.

 

“Look son, I trust you with all my heart, and I know you always take full responsibility of every single one of your actions. We’re not gonna have this talk again, unless _you_ come to me. Okay? I’m just letting you know that when it comes to these kind of things, I’m your guy. I’ll be here for you, you can talk to me, alright? Consider this a pact between you and me, one man to another.” James clarified, still holding out the _thing_.

 

Elly sighed deeply. Although, deep down he knew that his godfather only means well and taking on his role. “This has been the most uncomfortable drive I had with you, Uncle J. But thank you. I really appreciate it.” He smiled, snatched the _thing_ out of James fingers, and shoved it deep at the bottom of his left pocket. “Happy?”

 

“Come here.” James offered what appeared to be a bro hug which Elly took without any hesitations, patting each other’s back before pulling away. “Have a great day, bud!”

 

“You too…Dad!” Elly replied with sunny eyes before getting out of the car and James giggled.

 

Elly zipped up his black and red hoodie jacket and secured his backpack over his right shoulder, getting his long brown hair out of the way as it gleamed like caramel under the morning sun. He looked down on his feet, making sure that the cuffs of his joggers are both in place; just an inch above his red hi-top sneakers. Taking a deep breath before pushing his glasses back up to his nose, he started to blend in a thin crowd of older kids that were heading towards the school entrance.

 

 

* * *

  

 

“I asked my dad again this morning. I really can’t go! I’m sorry. But I feel sorrier for myself.” Razz groaned in utter disappointment as he sets his lunch tray down in front of Leila and Elly.

 

“Oh, hey Razz! There’s always next time, right?” Leila cheerfully greeted back as she poked on a carrot stick from her packed lunch.

 

“Hmm. Yeah.” Elly muttered while he chewed on his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “I heard Tony has something new on their menu. We’re planning to try that.” He nodded flatly to Leila.

 

“NOOOOO!” Razz groaned and slumped dramatically on the table over the lunch noise in the cafeteria.

 

“Aww. I could try your favorites first, Lincoln. Or maybe their bestsellers?” Leila insisted, feeling sorry for Razz while Elly smirked.

 

“Thank you! You are the nicest girl I know!” Razz fake sobbed at Leila while he poked his juice box with a straw, ignoring Elly’s snigger.

 

“Ma’s gonna pick us up later and I’m gonna tell her you said that.” Elly pointed his triangular sandwich at his groaning friend to threaten him.

 

“I said girl! Your ma’s a grown woman, there’s a difference!” Razz corrected him, still a bit emotional and Elly whistled in response. “I still can’t believe you’re hanging out without me.”

 

“There’s always next time.” Elly and Leila replied in unison.

 

“No, nothing beats the first time.” Razz whined, shaking his head in fake sorrow as the other two rolled their eyes. “His mom is really nice, by the way. Coolest mom you’ll ever meet in this entire school.” He added, his mood suddenly changed.

 

“I’m so sorry, you had to see him like this, Leila. I really don’t know what’s gotten into him. I honestly don’t understand why he’s suddenly acting like this. In fact, I’ve never seen him like this before.” Elly babbled before taking another bite from his sandwich while Leila giggled.

 

“And you should meet her Aunt Kara too. She’s really funny!” Razz waved him off with a banana muffin from his lunch tray after sniffing on it.

 

“How long have you two been friends?” Leila attentively asked while munching on a piece of carrot.

 

“Hmmm...” Elly hummed. “We’re…what, like…three?” He asked Razz.

 

“Ohh, you remember?” Razz face was back to normal again.

 

“Three years? Wow.” Leila responded. “I never get to have a friend for that long because we moved a lot.”

 

“What? Why?” Razz asked in surprise. “You running away from something?” He squinted suspiciously at her.

 

“No, but my dad is.” Leila sniggered. “Just kidding. Family business. My parents work together, so…I go where they go.”

 

“Wuuut???” Razz responded, exchanging wide-eyed glances with Elly. “That sounds sad.”

 

“Erm…it’s okay. I get to see different places.” Leila casually replied. “Cities mostly and I got used to it.”

 

“Sounds pretty nice. I’ve never been anywhere but here and Midvale. And I’ve known Razz since we were three.” Elly stated and Leila looked amazed enough.

 

“He was three, I was five.” Razz clarified as he chewed on his lunch.

 

“Oh, yeah. I forgot you’re an old man.” Elly smirked.

 

Razz waved him off. “We went to the same day care, and we came across this one toy in that box that the other kids doesn’t want. A kaleidoscope? And we got curious about it because we didn’t know what it was and how to use it, and then his mom showed us how it works and we were so amazed, that we took turns looking through it for like half an hour, and we became inseparable since then.” Razz explained while taking bites from his apple in between sentences.

 

“He fell in love with me.” Elly jested, glancing sideways and nodding to Leila. “And my mom.” He added with a shrug.

 

“Oh, admit it, Danvers. It was _you_ who fell in love with _me_!” Razz insisted, softening his voice. “Me and my chinky eyes.” He said, batting his eyelashes.

 

“Admit it Webber, I have a cool hot mom.” Elly replied as he bats his eyelashes back.

 

The boys gazed at each other and exchanged a couple of air kisses across the table before giggling, accompanied by fist bumps like Leila wasn’t there. Leila on the other hand had a weirded-out look on her face, darting glances from Elly, who was sitting by her side, and to Razz who was across the table. The three of them exchanged quiet looks before breaking into a hearty laughter. They talked and snickered some more while stealing bites from each other’s lunches like they have been doing it for years. It hasn’t even been a week yet and surprisingly, even Leila felt like she fit right in. Oddly enough, no one in the school cafeteria seemed to care.

 

“Do you play chess?” Razz asked Leila when the laughter had faded.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

“Act normal.”

 

Kara muttered as she flattened the bangs of her long jet-black, wig. It was almost covering her dark shadowed eyes as they entered Tony’s Ice Cream Parlour, while a gothic, dark lipped Nia trailed behind her.

 

“Aren’t we gonna attract more attention with this?” Nia muttered, eyeing on their outfits that seemed to be making her feel something that is definitely far from comfortable, though she was totally rocking it.

 

“Shh! They aren’t here yet. C’mon, let’s pick a spot.” Kara whispered with her game face on, not even bothered by the bright red tulle tutu skirt she was wearing over net stockings and knee-high chucks.

 

Nia had a confused look on her face thinking how the shushing made any sense. She had to slightly wriggle through her skinny leather jeans for the fourth time and check that her ears were properly hidden away by her long dark hair, before following Kara to a table near the back.

 

“Now, we wait.” Kara muttered as her eyes scanned the whole place, pretending to be assessing the other customers that were there, but was actually checking out what’s new on the menu board above the counter. “You hungry?” She asks Nia.

 

“No, thanks. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat anything right now.” Nia replied as she quietly took a seat and scanned the whole place with her own eyes.

 

“I’m gonna eat. They have something new on the menu!” Kara said as she raises a hand and smiled at the young waiter who just completed serving the orders three tables away from them.

 

 _“Hummingbirds, this is Partridge from the pear tree. How do you copy? Over.”_ Brainy’s voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

 

“Loud and clear, Partridge. This is Hummer Two, in position. Over.” Nia muttered over her leather wristband.

 

_“Hummer One, come in. Do you copy? Over.”_

 

“Copy, Partridge. Hummer One in position, just getting some serious nectar. What’s the status? Over.” Kara mumbled on the smiley emoji pin on her collar.

 

_“Right on schedule. The flock has left the building. Arriving in ten. Keep your eyes open. Good luck. Over and out.”_

 

“Roger that.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

“Hey, you two!”

 

Alex greeted with a cheerful smile and unusual high-pitched tone that Elly noticed. It’s been freezing out for the past week and she was glad how her biker boots and leather jacket keeps her warm, with the help of a soft olive green shirt underneath and a pair of dark skinny jeans. She had been waiting by the pick-up lane in front of the school’s main entrance, ten minutes even before the bell rang, giving herself enough time to completely compose herself. “How was school?” She asked.

 

“Piece of cake.” Elly greeted his mama back, along with a usual short hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. “Razz went on ahead.”

 

“Oh.” Alex felt a little hesitant at first, thinking her son might not find that cool especially in front of a new girl. But despite being already a half foot shorter than his mother, Elly was just as constant. And so she gave in anyway, while throwing a side glance at the young girl behind him and taking note of how she would react. _Bright eyes, weak smile, hmm…_

 

“This is Leila.” Elly continued when he pulled away. “Leila, this is my ma, Alex.”

 

“Hi, Mrs. Danvers! I’m Leila. I’ve heard cool things about you.” Leila followed through with a wider smile and offered Alex a handshake.

 

 _Dimples. Uh-huh._ That’s the first thing Alex saw; a dimpled right cheek and a smaller one just below the right corner of the young girl’s lips. She found the formality a little unusual but gave the girl’s hand a firm shake anyway while whispering to herself. _Be the cool mom._

 

“Hi Leila, it’s nice to meet you!” Alex pulls up the friendly smile from her good cop look book as she held a steady gaze from a pair of mysterious baby blue eyes.

 

Without a doubt, Leila was cute. Alarmingly cute, to be exact. Her long curled eyelashes are definitely not fake and the fullness of her arched eyebrows speaks just the right amount of confidence. She does have pale skin and her long dark hair that curled slightly at the ends was tied up in a high and neat ponytail. _Uh-huh._ Soft cleft chin, chiseled jawline and high rosy cheeks highlighted her angular facial features. The dark gray, cashmere turtleneck that she wore was French-tucked in a pair of skinny denim jeans and matched with Timberlands of the same shade of gray. _Uh-huh._

 

Alex found Leila pretty, but not so simple. She didn’t have any make up on, except for maybe lip gloss. But the way she carries herself makes it all seem sophisticated. _Maybe it’s her vintage leather knapsack or her miniature teacup necklace?_ Alex was a little lost in thought, presuming the new girl to be a Queen Bee type of kid -- a little too far from Elly’s “kind of people”. After having a quick read from all the vibe that she was getting, a popular name suddenly popped into Alex’s head, making her inner-self flinch and whisper: _And to think you got bullied on your first day? Seriously? God, help me._

 

“That’s a nice pair of shoes.” Alex remarked genuinely with a warm smile. _They really are!_

 

“Thanks.” Leila replied as she eyed on the woman’s biker boots. “Though, not as cool as yours.”

 

 _Or maybe she’s a Girl Next Door? Or maybe…that’s just me?_ Alex argued and distracted with her own thoughts, she tried to shake off her stereotyping, overprotective Mama Bear self. “You guys ready?” She tilted her head slightly towards the car, telling them to get in.

 

“I heard you’re new in town?” Alex asked Leila as they buckled up their seatbelts.

 

“Yes! I’m from Keystone City. We moved here because of my parents.” Leila answered after settling in the backseat with Elly.

 

“Why? What’s with your parents?” Alex curiously asked as she started the car.

 

“My dad closed a deal here in National City. He’s a businessman and my mom works as his assistant.” The girl explained.

 

“Oh, okay. That explains the handshake.” Alex thought loudly.

 

“How about you, Ma? What do you do for a living?” Elly cuts in, biting his lips to hide a grin.

 

“I um…I’m a detective.” Alex answered coolly as they drove towards the city plaza.

 

“A lady cop? That’s awesome!” Leila wooed. “I’m starting to see what Razz has been talking about.”

 

“That’s nice of you.” Alex responded, her good cop mask easing up a bit. “So how do you find your new school so far?”

 

“Um…I’m still finding my feet.” Leila answered. “But I’m lucky that Razz and Lincoln here are nice enough to befriend the new kid.”

 

“Oh, the most popular nerds of National City Technical High!” Alex jested with a snicker, making Elly roll his eyes. “They’re untouchable. You’re in good hands.” She winked at Leila on the rearview mirror.

 

“Isn’t she the sweetest?” Elly grinned at the new girl, who was all smiles.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

“Hummingbirds, target approaching. Eyes on the prize. Over.” Brainy relayed.

 

“Copy that.” Kara answered, while she studied the people seated near their table and what they’re having.

 

“Team, this is Mama Bird. Baby Bird has landed on the ice berg. I repeat, Baby Bird has landed. Do you read? Over.” Alex’s voice suddenly joined in after leaving the Juke in the nearest car park outside the target’s view.

 

“Loud and clear, Mama Bird. This is Partridge. What’s your twenty? Over.” Brainy responded.

 

“Mama Bird heading to the pear tree. Prepare to plant the seeds. Over.” Alex replied as she discreetly hurried towards the truck where Brainy was stationed.

 

“Hummingbirds, status report?” Brainy suddenly asks.

 

“Partridge, this is Hummer Two. I have a visual.” Nia responded. “And ooohh…she’s prettyyy!” She added, sounding impressed and starting varied tones of cheerful hums of approval with Kara and Brainy over the comms.

 

“So waddaya think?” Alex voice butts in, her worried eyebrows unseen.

 

“Rao, help me.” Kara muttered, her tone between nervous, giggly and impressed.

 

“She looks like a teenager Kendall Jenner.” Nia commented while Brainy’s proud chuckle vibrated on the background.

 

“Exactly!” Alex exclaimed, a bit relieved for being relatable.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Hey El! New friend?”

 

They were welcomed by an old yet cheerful, plump man behind the counter.

 

“Yup! I’m spreading the good news, Tony!” Elly greeted the shop owner with a salute. Tony chuckled in reply and gestured immediate assistance from one of the young servers that he called Chop, who resembled a younger version of him.

 

“Hmm…smells good. I’m starting to like this place.” Leila commented and looked eagerly around the ice cream place for a table. The whole place smelled of somewhere between buttered vanilla waffles and dark chocolate fudge.

 

“Aunt Kara would always bring me here after school.” Elly started after they have settled on their seats. “They started out as a food truck right across the street. It was called Tony’s Truck before.”

 

“Really? Wow! Look at this place.” Leila was pretty impressed how it now housed about twenty tables to serve about a hundred and fifty customers at a time, including the seats by the counter. A few older kids were starting to occupy the other tables, filling almost half of the place. It could be the retro interiors, the neon lights or the jukebox that made the place cozy, but it was the wall sized Supergirl poster on the wall that she loved the most.

 

“We’ll get the usual, and make that two. Thanks, Chopper!” Elly told the waiter, who nodded with a smile and left right away after replacing the almost empty napkin holder on their table with a full one.

 

“This place gets pretty crowded during the weekends.” Elly continued, noticing how distracted Leila was with the Supergirl poster. He smiled and chimed in. “I don’t know how true, but I heard she gets free ice cream here for life.” Elly sniggered.

 

“Woah! Have you seen her? Like, in person?” Leila suddenly asked, her eyes still stuck on the blonde super hero smiling back at her whilst holding a ginormous sugar cone in one hand with about two dozen big scoops of ice cream, and her other hand resting on her waist in a fist. This was the first time that Leila had seen a blown up picture of her. _She really posed for that?_

 

“Umm…a few times, yah. But just glimpses. She’s really fast.” Elly replied.

 

“Really? I wonder what she’s like…” Leila seemed to be mesmerized.

 

“Strong. Really strong. And fast. Super fast, that all you’ll see is a red blur. Or blue. Sometimes blonde.” Elly added. “We should go see her statue by the port sometimes.”

 

“Your mom’s rockin’ that pixie haircut, by the way.” Leila stated, suddenly changing the topic. “I won’t be surprised if Razz turned out to have a crush on her.” She added, followed with a giggle.

 

“She’s really cool.” Elly beamed.

 

“Don’t tell me her boots are just a pair of boots without a bike?”

 

“She’s a monster rider. A Ducati Monster.” Elly beamed.

 

“No way!” Leila gasped, her eyes full of undeniable admiration for the woman. “That’s some serious tea! I’d have to see that for myself!”

 

Elly grinned and shrugged, his cheeks flushing with pride. There was fluttering in his stomach whenever someone gives sincere compliments about his ma. _I have a feeling we could be good friends._ While thinking to himself, he heard some silent sniggers from behind him but didn’t pay much attention.

 

“What about…your dad? I…you haven’t...” Leila asked with a little hesitation, after realizing that Elly hasn’t mentioned his father, not even once.

 

“Well…Uncle James has been like my dad, ever since. He’s my Aunt Kara’s best friend.” Elly explained.

 

“So…your real dad’s not in the picture?” Leila’s brows arched in disbelief.

 

“I’m adopted.” Elly stated casually, his face lighting up as their food arrived just in time for a change of topic. “I hope you’re hungry.” He sighed in hope that Leila won’t prod him further.

 

“Woah! So your mom, she’s like…solo?” Leila sounded surprised, her eyes going wider at the sight of a three-scoop ice cream cup, a burger, a basket of fries and a milkshake in front of her, and another set for Elly.

 

“You could say that. But she has a lot of friends, making our family pretty big.” Elly tried to answer as short and truthful as possible as they both started digging into their food.

 

“Oh my 'osh! This’ really goo'! Wha is this?” Leila sang, despite her mouth still filled with a spoonful of red velvet cake and creamy vanilla goodness.

 

“Triple chocolate, vanilla velvet and truffle marble.” Elly chimed while pointing on each of the scoops. “This is my all-time favorite ice cream. Tony’s medley number nine. How about you? What’s your favorite?” He asked.

 

“Ice cream? I don’t know. I’ve never really had a favorite ice cream before.” Leila replied. “Or favorite food in general.”

 

“Are you serious?” Elly asked in response, sounding a bit ridiculed causing him to stop midway of taking a bite off his burger.

 

“I mean…I remember having this vanilla ice cream before, with double stuffed Oreo cookie chunks and marshmallows that I really liked? But not really. And I’ve tried a lot of really good food, but…nothing that I really umm…like…ate a lot or craved for? No, I don’t know.” Leila explained as she munched on some fries, still reflecting on her answer. “Broccoli maybe?”

 

“No kidding?” Elly looked somewhat amused and a little disgusted. Though he remembered liking broccoli too when he was younger.

 

“Buttered, roasted, with lemon garlic or parmesan…or maybe kale chips?” Leila continued. “Though there isn’t much of a difference between the two.”

 

“You’re kidding, right?” He had to ask again to confirm.

 

“They’re related, but kale is king. I make them all the time. I really like vegetables.” Leila flatly answered. “There.”

 

Elly’s face was stuck at slightly disgusted blinked with his eyebrows arched. “Ever heard of pizza?”

 

“Of course! Roasted veggie pizza is good. And peas? Ugh!” 

 

“No.” Elly can’t believe what he was hearing. And the way she said _Ugh!_ was the kind you say after tasting something really good. He thought he just lost his appetite. But sniffing on his beef burger was enough to regain his happetite.

 

Leila snorted. “Have you ever tried roasted aubergines with tomatoes and cheddar?” She casually asked.

 

“Ughh…no. And dumplings?” Elly curiously asked. "I like dumplings too."

 

“Ravioli!” She hummed.

 

“But that’s pasta.” He countered, a little confused.

 

“It's a dumpling.” Leila inferred. Which was somewhat true.

 

“Right." Elly concedes. "What about hamburgers?”

 

“Portobello burgers! With pineapple!” Leila nodded honestly, taking note of how Elly’s eyebrows rose, fall and crinkle. She found the widening and squinting of turquoise eyes of the boy in front of her and each of his facial reactions, quite adorable and amusing.

 

“What planet are you from?” Elly asked with his voice a little high-pitched in disbelief.

 

“Uhh…this one?” Leila started to chuckle.

 

Elly slowly pushed the plate of burger towards Leila, the fluttering in his tummy returning. “Welcome to National City, then.” He stated, with a gruesome expression on his face but a wide smile on his lips. “You'll fit right in, weirdo.”

 

“Thanks, Linc.” Leila answered with smiling eyes.

 

“Wha- no one has ever called me that before.” Elly smirked. “Elly would be fine.”

 

“Then Link it is!” Leila insisted. “You should’ve seen that priceless look on your face for the last five minutes, Link.” She bantered smoothly.

 

 

And at that, they both broke into a hearty laughter, Leila clapping her hands together in triumph and Elly clapping his hands over his mouth, suppressing a deep and long _no_ in embarrassment for falling for it. They talked and giggled some more after calling each other _certified nerd_ over half-eaten cheesy burgers, slowly melting scoops of ice cream, half-baskets of still-warm fries and half-empty glasses of milkshakes. The jukebox played songs by Jet and Lenny Kravitz, which they bopped their heads to. And when the laughter faded and a bright smile was all that’s left on Leila’s face, that’s when Elly noticed that something else was happening.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

“Lena Luthor?! What are you doing in my system?!?” Brainy asks in surprise as he multitasks between the security and surveillance cameras in and outside of Tony’s Ice Cream Parlour.

 

“Did you say Luthor? Where?” Alex suddenly got a little panicky and whirled from her chair to face the Coluan. She scanned over the monitors in front of her that showed a number of security cameras around the vicinity.

 

“Uh, no. At least, not technically. Or rather, personally?” Brainy replied blinking and a little distracted.

 

“What? Did you…don’t tell me she…” Alex’s words trailed off, her mind started to race as fast as the beating of her heart.

 

“Oh. Woah! Did she just hacked into my system?! How’s that even possible?!” Brainy exclaimed, opening his eyes again. He seemed to be a little upset and surprised.

 

“Brainy?! You’re the twelfth-level intellect!” Alex snapped at him.

 

“Hah! She’s probably a five. Hold on a second.” Brainy countered excitedly like he was being challenged. He closed his eyes again to focus on his task.

 

_“Missed me, Danvers?”_

 

Lena’s deep voice suddenly patched through their earpiece, sending goosebumps across the back of their necks.

 

“Or maybe a 5.875?” Brainy concluded.

 

“Lena?!” Kara whispered, sounding so surprised from inside the ice cream place.

 

“What is she doing in our comms?” Nia wide-eyed wondered as well under her breath, pointing at her ear.

 

“Weren’t you supposed to call me last night?” Lena demandingly asked, making Nia and Kara roll their eyes.

 

“Uh-oh.” Kara mumbled and sighed as she reached for the basket of fries on their table.

 

“Lena? What are you doing?” Alex asked calmly, but actually in shock. She swallowed to calm her nerves a little more.

 

“Taking matters in my own hands? So when do you plan on telling me about this?” Lena sounded a little pissed on the other end, wherever that may be.

 

“And how did you…?” Alex started.

 

“Because he called me last night? Duh?” Lena argued.

 

“Alex didn’t tell her?” Nia mouthed to Kara, holding in a smirk and Kara just shrugged as she slurped loudly on her chocolate-banana milkshake.

 

“Wha-? And why would he call you?” Alex asked in disbelief.

 

“Turns out his ma was too busy freaking out to give him dating tips?!” Lena snapped, making a short crispy snort right after.

 

“What?! That’s not true!” Alex lied, her cheeks starting to turn pink. She cracked her knuckles and then proceeded to trace where Lena’s location was, only to find out she seemed to be bouncing around the country every ten seconds. She even felt her heart skip a beat when the blip locator seemed to have bounced in their location.

 

“Yeah? Then why did he call me, then?” The CEO mockingly asked, letting the sound of her Luthor smirk linger between Alex’s ears.

 

“Can we talk about this some other time? As you can see, we’re pretty busy…” Alex calmly demanded.

 

“Oh, I’m busy too. And you’re interfering with my signal.” Lena argued, her voice now deep and calm and full of provoaction.

 

“You are on _our_ signal! Brainy?! Wasn’t this supposed to be secured or something?

 

“I guess she’s more of a 6.188.” Brainy conceded with his eyes still closed, focusing on strengthening his firewalls and attempting to block Lena out.

 

“Oh, no, no. I am not going anywhere.” Lena crowed, her hands springing in action on her keys.

 

 

Inside Tony’s, Kara happily munched on more handful of fries, her head swaying side to side like she was listening to music while she flips on the pages of Tony’s menu. Nia pulled the basket of fries to indulge herself with, and letting out a huge sigh before taking a couple of fries. She was dipping them on ketchup when she lifted her gaze towards the target’s table, and finding Elly and Leila already gone and halfway out the door.

 

 

“Pear tree, do you copy?” Nia said to her comms after dropping the clueless fry back to the basket. “The birds took off! I repeat, the targets are on the move!”

 

“This is the reason why I didn’t tell you in the first place!” Alex barked through her comms, pushing her chair back and forth the tiny space inside the truck, not noticing that their target were already in the move.

 

“We could’ve done something more than Tony’s, you know? It’s his first date, for Christ’s sake!” Lena argued, her tone a little more uncalm but still casual.

 

“Uh…Director?” Brainy tried to interrupt, awkwardly attempting to stop the cats from fighting when the door of their surveillance truck, dressed for parcel delivery, slid open, and Elly’s head suddenly appeared.

 

“Then why don’t you hop onto your pretty little jet and get your whiny ass in here!?” Alex shrilled towards the mic.

 

“No! I am not screwing this up for Elly!” Lena squeaked over the comms.

 

“Hey, Ma. Hey Uncle B. Hi, Nia with Aunt Kara. And hello, Lady Scotch.”

 

Elly greeted them all without even clearing his throat. Everyone froze. Alex and Lena’s exchange came to a sudden halt and the silence that followed was completely deafening. For what felt like a full minute, the communication lines were dead silent. Not even a single cricket and each of them seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.

 

“Elly! Sweetie! Hey, how-how’s it going? Is-is everything okay?” Alex didn’t know where she found the guts to speak, fighting how her stomach churned at the very sight of their target.

 

Elly opened the door wider to reveal Leila standing right beside him.

 

“Hi!” Leila shyly greeted with a short wave.

 

“Oh, hey…” Alex smiled awkwardly and gulped with such difficulty.


	9. Face The Wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I know, and I’m sorry. I already talked to her, explained and apologized...it’s just an occasional argument. That’s what adults do.” Alex had to scratch her neck at what her son just said.
> 
> “You yelled at each other like children.” Elly pointed out.
> 
> “Wait, I thought I was the mom here?” Alex winced playfully as she takes a dumpling for herself.
> 
> “I’ve seen you and Auntie K argue, but you’ve never yelled at each other.” Elly replied, ignoring her and sticking to the subject.
> 
> “Not in front of you.” Alex said in defense. “We do yell at each other, but we just…we do it in whispers.” She confessed with a nod.
> 
> Elly stopped chewing just to look at her in disbelief and let his cringe show clearly upon his face.

The drive back home with Elly that evening had been by far the scariest of all. More frightening than the bike ride when she first took him home, or the days that she has to constantly watch her back whenever they’re going out together. Which was every single day. Alex can’t even get herself to turn the music player on. Her hands kept drumming on the steering wheel as she kept swallowing the thickness of the deafening silence inside the car instead, even when her throat has run dry.

 

It was the first time that Elly had given her the silent treatment. _What if he starts hating me because of this?_ Alex can’t even tell if he’s disappointed, plain mad or sad or sulking. She doesn’t know if she should say something or just let him be. _You agreed to no stalking, Alexandra. Of course, he’s mad at you. He’d understand, Alex. Everything’s gonna be just fine._ She kept convincing and telling and arguing with herself for the last hour since Elly opened that door and asked her to give them a ride around the city. And so, out of parental instinct and guilt and more, she did.

 

Watching him with Leila was uncomfortable enough, even without the added anxiety. Though there was a side of her that felt happy, seeing how Elly treated the new girl with such care and respect like he always have with the girls in the family. He was confident and as funny as he is, without holding anything back or pretending to be something or someone else. And it was a relief to see Leila being such a sweetheart in return, smiling and laughing at Elly’s jokes. Alex watched them from an appropriate distance for them to walk around the park, play chess, talk and laugh some more without being too invasive. They even sang in the car together to September by Earth, Wind & Fire and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody from Kara’s playlist before dropping Leila off to her house.

 

“You okay, Ned?” Alex finally asked after the car engine came to a halt beside her Ducati in the garage across their apartment building. Elly already unbuckled his seatbelt but she remained in her seat, studying him closely. _Please say something._

 

Elly took a moment to think about what to say. “Yeah.” He blurted out, blinking at the wall in front of them. “I’m okay.”

 

“Okay, umm…are we…are we okay?” She asks her son.

 

“Yeah. We’re okay.” Elly slowly replied. “But we should talk.” He added.

 

“Yah, sure. We will talk before going to bed.” Alex softly agreed, a huge wave of relief crashing over her while she freed herself from her seatbelt.

 

“You should call her.” Elly suddenly said, taking in a deep breath and turning to look at his mother with worried eyes.

 

Alex was a little surprised at what he said and that kind of look in his eyes, only remembering then that she was exchanging pretty intense words with Lena, at the exact time when Elly popped into the truck. _Was he thinking about my fight with Lena the whole time?_ Alex had been too preoccupied to see things that way, but now it made total sense.

 

“Yes, I should!” Alex responded immediately, as another burst of anxiety returned to the surface. “Will you go on ahead? I’ll…” Her words seemed to have faded along with her relief.

 

“Yah, sure. And I’m just gonna check on Leila and…everyone else while you two…talk.” Elly replied while he gathered his things. He grabbed the warm bag of Chinese take-out and hopped out of the car. “Um…good luck.” He mumbled before closing the door shut and leaving Alex inside.

 

 _We should talk._ Three words rang in Alex’s ears like an impatient bell from the front desk asking for assistance. A deep, long sigh was not enough to calm her down and so she rested her head on the steering wheel, blinking slowly to contemplate on the day’s sudden turn of events. _What have you just gotten yourself into, Danvers?_ She asked herself. Taking a couple more deep long breaths before sitting up straight, she pulled out her phone and started dialing for her girlfriend’s number.

 

* * *

 

 

Lena kept pacing behind her desk despite the text updates that she had been infrequently receiving from Alex for the past couple of hours. She will only feel the urge to sit on her chair to drink, check on her phone and open her laptop only to close it again because she refused to go back to work while out of focus.

 

 _He will call me. He promised he would call._ Lena kept reminding herself like a chant that she’s breathing into existence. She didn’t even noticed that her glass was already empty, and so she stood up to get her fifth refill for the night alone. _No, I have to be clear headed when he calls._ She argued with herself and decided to settle for a glass of water instead.

 

**_Riiiiiiinnnnnngggggg!!!_ **

 

Lena’s heart jumped out of her chest, almost spilling water all over her burgundy pencil dress when she heard her phone ring. A sudden surge of panic flowed through her veins, but was able to properly set the glass pitcher down before hurrying to her desk to pick up her phone. For what seemed like a form of relief, her panic subsided a bit when she saw that it was Alex calling.

 

“Talk to me.” Lena blurted out with a flat plain tone right after pressing the answer button.

 

“I’m so sorry, Lee. I should’ve called you right away. I panicked and I didn’t want to worry you. And I thought I could handle it all by myself because I should, but I couldn’t and I didn’t include you and I’m really sorry, Lena. I really am.” Alex seamlessly apologized, unknowingly taking Lena’s breath away. “And what I said over the comms earlier, I didn’t mean to yell at you like that, I just…I’m sorry.” She let out a huge sigh. Half out of sincerity and half out of relief for freeing herself with the burden of not telling Lena.

 

For the past two years that they have been together as a not-so-long-distance couple, Alex had learned how to let all her guard down with Lena. It was something inevitable, yet wasn’t as terrifying or dangerous as she thought it would be, because the Luthor woman had been equally returning her trust and honesty.

 

Lena felt her stiff nerves slowly softening. This is another thing about the DEO director that she had learned to love; her ability to admit and determine what she did wrong, sincerely apologize when necessary and make up for it. And as embarrassing or sappy as it may sound for a Luthor, she finds it hard not to forgive her. Lena doesn’t really have a forgiving nature. But after getting to know the real Alex, she noticed that things slowly started to change.

 

“Hey, it’s…it’s been a long day for both of us.” Lena softly replied. “I…I’m sorry too for…for interfering with your mission. It’s…it’s my fault you…I mean, we…we got busted.” Lena stammered. She knew she was never good at it but she’s been trying. There was a deep, long pulling of breath from the other line followed by a weak chuckle, causing her tightened jaws to loosen up.

 

“Well…we’re moms. We can’t help it.” Alex chuckled over the phone, her adorable curled up pout unseen.

 

Even though they're miles apart, Lena can imagine Alex’s crinkled nose and adorable smirk just by hearing her laughter on the other line. The CEO sank to her chair and had to press the bridge of her nose to calm the fluttering in her tummy and let the moment linger. Shaking her head with a real smile across her face and soft chuckle coming out of her lips, she asked. “How was it? How is he?”

 

“They both had a great time.” Alex assured her. “And Leila is such a sweetheart.”

 

“Oh, thank goodness.” Lena sighed in relief.

 

“But he was worried about us.” Alex reported.

 

“What?” Lena’s eyebrows suddenly furrowed.

 

“He…he caught us fighting.” Alex started. “I’m still in the car in the garage right now and I haven’t talked to him yet because he insisted that I should call you first, so…” The DEO director explained.

 

“He thinks that we were fighting because of him?” Lena theorizes.

 

“Something like that.” Alex replied. “You know him, it bothers him when people he cared about have misunderstandings.”

 

“He got that from you.” Lena stated. “You’re such a B.I., ma.” She teased, using Elly’s tone.

 

“Excuse me?” Alex cackled in return, driving away their anxiety completely.

 

“But that Leila…isn’t she cute?” Lena deflects, changing the topic.

 

“Oh, my god! I think we’re gonna be in big trouble!” Alex responded.

 

“If she’ll ever make my Elly, cry, I swear to God…”

 

“Lee-naa…” Alex sings her name.

 

“You haven’t by any chance…have you…or should we…” Lena started, unsure how she should ask her question without sounding too invasive.

 

“No!” Alex cuts in, already knowing what Lena was about to ask. “I wanted to, but everything just happened so fast! He only told me about her last night so I tried not to or until I meet her in person. She seemed nice, proper, sophisticated…and after all that’s happened today, I think we should let Elly do this on his own.” Alex inferred.

 

“Her parents then. Or her whole family? They could be fugitives from another country for all we know.” Lena casually suggested while Alex snorted.

 

“Hold it right there, Ms. Luthor.” Alex attempted to speak in a sultry tone to distract Lena and heard a short silent gasp from the other end. “Will you please slow down a little?” Alex said slowly, making sure that Lena can imagine how her lips curled playfully.

 

“I’m just being cautious, Director. That’s all.” Lena casually replied, biting her lip to hold in her own smirk. “I’m a Luthor. And when it comes to Elly, everything could be a trap.”

 

“I must say, you’re not wrong there.” Alex conceded. “But let’s just take it one at a time, shall we?”

 

“Hmmkay, then we shall.” Lena replied. “Hey, he promised he would call me tonight.”

 

“Well, someone can’t wait to get rid of me.” Alex whined and hummed while Lena groaned. “Then eat something, will you? And please, easy on the whisky, Lady Scotch. Capeesh?” She reminded her girlfriend.

 

“Yes, thank you. I will because hunger has finally found me.” Lena countered. “And wine is fine, Lady Merlot. You deserve a glass tonight.” She added.

 

“Oh! Yes, I think I do and I’d be glad to have one.” Alex asked. “So, we’re okay?”

 

“Yes, doctor. We’re ohh-so ohh-kay.” Lena said in her breathy bedroom voice, making Alex roll her eyes and bite her lower lip. “Just send me the background check tomorrow, okay? Bye, love you.”

 

“Yah. First thing tomorrow. Love you too.” Alex giggly replied and the call ended, leaving a wide smile on her face that quickly disappeared with her jaw dropping. Her fingers ended up over her open mouth as she stared at her phone in disbelief that she just fell for that.

 

Meanwhile, in LCorp Northeast in Metropolis, Lena stares back at her phone with a triumphant gasp and wide smile on her face. “I knew it!” She pointed to her phone snickering, and congratulating herself for a job well done.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Kara furiously took a large bite out of a rainbow sprinkled, chocolate glazed donut as she sat on the couch in J’onn’s office. The Martian just watched and blinked quietly back at her with his arms crossed over his chest.

 

“I can hear you, J’onn. Don’t say it!” Kara whined as she took two more bites to finish the donut that she was holding and reached for another from the pink box on her lap.

 

“I didn’t say anything, Kara.” J’onn bites his lips. He was obviously amused and holding in a smile or probably a smirk.

 

Kara held her hands up and waved them in circles like she was saying something ridiculously important while she chewed and filled her mouth with more sugary goodness. J’onn just nodded, pretending to agree when in fact, he knew what that exactly meant. The blonde-haired Danvers let out a huge sigh, her face now filled with regret and worry.

 

“How did he take it?” J’onn started to ask.

 

“I don’t know!” Kara’s answer was muffled by donuts so she swallowed them down. “We stopped listening the moment they drove away. I haven’t talked to Alex yet. I don’t even know if _he_ talked to Alex yet.” Kara answered while taking another bite from a chocolate butternut and letting out another sigh as she chewed.

 

“ _You_ stopped listening?” J’onn suspiciously asked, stressing on the last word.

 

“Well…” Kara started. “The kids seemed to have a great time.”

 

“That’s good news!” J’onn responded. “I tol…”

 

“Hey! Don’t say it!” Kara pointed a half-eaten donut right at J’onn to silence him, scattering bright orange crumbs everywhere. “It backfired! There, I said it!”

 

“Did it?” J’onn asked again and Kara groaned while rolling her eyes. “We don’t really know anything yet.”

 

“Poor Alex. I just hope she’s okay.” Kara mumbled as she sank back to the couch after popping in the last bite of donut into her mouth. J’onn just shook his head, still holding back a smile.

 

**_Riiiiiiinnnnnngggggg!!!_ **

 

Kara’s phone started ringing. She took it out and her eyes suddenly went wide, throwing a side glance at J’onn and back to her phone like she was hesitating to swipe the answer button.

 

“It’s him!” Kara whispered like she was asking J’onn what she should do.

 

“What are you waiting for? Answer it!” J’onn replied. “He must be worried.”

 

Kara’s face suddenly crumpled, not fully comprehending what he meant by that. And so, she took in a deep breath before answering the call.

 

“Dumpling? Is everything okay?” Kara asked, getting up from the couch and started to pace while drumming her fingers to her chin.

 

“Hi! I’m okay. Leila had a great time.” Elly chimed from the other end while Kara smiled to hear the good news straight from him. “Are you okay?”

 

“Are you…” Kara started, unsure if she should ask right away. Daringly, she swallowed down that hesitation before continuing. “…are you mad at me?” She asked with her eyes closed, preparing herself for whatever comes next. “I’m really sorry…”

 

“I…no, Auntie K. I’m not mad at you, or anyone.” Elly weakly chuckled. “What you did was totally unnecessary, but I totally get it.”

 

“I know.” Kara blows out a loud sigh of relief, not even noticing that tears have formed on the corner of her eyes. “Thank you.” She chuckled at herself, glad enough that the rollercoaster ride has slowed down and the churning in her stomach slowly disappearing. “So how was your…date?”

 

“It wasn’t a date!” Elly started to laugh. “I just showed her where I usually hang out.”

 

“Okay, I’m sorry. Because I must admit, this is quite new for me too.” Kara scratched her eyebrow, though she was smiling awkwardly. “But to be fair, she’s really cute.”

 

“She loved medley number nine.” Elly muttered, sounding a little giddy.

 

“Oh, really? That’s great!” Kara’s face lightened up as she paced back and forth J’onn’s office.

 

“You should hang out with us sometimes.” Elly suddenly suggested. “Besides, you now owe me three days of the said ice cream.”

 

“Sure! It’s a date!” Kara instantly replied, ignoring her nephew’s groan and meeting J’onn’s smirking face. The Martian quietly takes a donut from the pink box and ate it with a contented nod that could be taken as either an _“I told you so”_ or a _“this is really good”_.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

When Alex got inside her apartment, Chinese take outs, along with a bottle of Shiraz and an empty wine glass were already waiting for her on the coffee table.

 

“Dinner on the couch for a change?” Elly started as he stood up from his study desk. “I figured you might need some.” He referred to the wine.

 

“Thanks, I think I’ll have some.” Alex replied as she took off her jacket and hung it on the rack by the door.

 

“Is she still angry? You two were…fighting.” Elly settled on the couch first.

 

“She was. I didn’t tell her about your…thing with Leila.” Alex confessed.

 

“I called her about it.” Elly softly replied as he opened a pack of pot stickers and paper container of beef fried rice.

 

“Yeah, she told me. But we’re okay now. We just had a little misunderstanding. It happens to every couple, you know?” Alex explained as she sat down on the couch and poured herself a glass of wine.

 

“Please don’t fight because of me.” Elly responded. “You both have phones, talk to her, talk to each other.” He mumbled as he sank back to the couch, lifting both his feet up facing his mom. “I know you’re not married yet, or even engaged but…I don’t think that should mean that, she can’t have any say.” He took a bite off of a potsticker before continuing. “It’s not fair. She’s already been a part of my life long before you decided to be with her. Even if she’s too far away, she could still be just as worried as you are so, please let her have a say at least.”

 

“I know, and I’m sorry. I already talked to her, explained and apologized...it’s just an occasional argument. That’s what adults do.” Alex had to scratch her neck at what her son just said.

 

“You yelled at each other like children.” Elly pointed out.

 

“Wait, I thought I was the mom here?” Alex winced playfully as she takes a dumpling for herself.

 

“I’ve seen you and Auntie K argue, but you’ve never yelled at each other.” Elly replied, ignoring her and sticking to the subject.

 

“Not in front of you.” Alex said in defense. “We do yell at each other, but we just…we do it in whispers.” She confessed with a nod.

 

Elly stopped chewing just to look at her in disbelief and let his cringe show clearly upon his face.

 

“Danvers sisters, yes we can!” Alex whispered in a sing-song.

 

“You two are such weirdos.” Elly squinted in disgust.

 

“And a twelve-year old boy, going thirteen, still sleeping with his mother on the same bed is not weird to you? Come on.” Alex countered, her eyes also squinting.

 

Elly rolled his eyes. “I just know how to get better sleep!” He argued. “Do you have any idea how many people, kids and adults alike, struggle to get good sleep these days? And besides, it’s not my fault that my ma’s armpits smelled like sweet lullabies. Ugh!”

 

“Egh. Eww. Not weird at all.” Alex gagged followed by a hearty giggle. “Welcome to the club, weirdo.”

 

“Stalker.” Elly mumbled, suddenly changing the subject.

 

“Umm…ouch?!” Alex rolled her eyes in disbelief at how the sudden pang of guilt felt like a slap on her face. She had to take not a sip, but a gulp from her wine. _Okay, I deserved this. Here we go._

 

“You got jealous, didn’t you? Admit it.” Elly snorted, making the conversation a little lighter.

 

“I did not!”

 

“Hmm. If you say so.” Elly returned to his food.

 

“Is it wrong if I did? I’m sorry, okay? I promise, I’ll make it up to you.” Alex conceded, but still whining a little. She was able to put a whole potsticker inside her mouth.

 

“Why should a mother apologize for acting like a mother? Does that make any sense?” Elly suddenly asked surprising Alex, as he indulged himself with fried rice.

 

“Look, when it comes to making friends or hanging out or dating, or having girlfriends…” Alex started, gesturing quotations with her fingers at the mention of hanging out.

 

“Girlfriends? With an “s”?” Elly cuts in to point out, distracting Alex to chuckle lightly.

 

“Okay, any kind of relationships, I mean…I just want you to know that I trust you, okay? I really do.” Alex clarified.

 

“But? There’s a “but” coming after that, right?” Elly anticipates as he clicked his tongue to remove a grain of rice stuck between his teeth.

 

Alex took a deep breath. “At least give me a head start, will you? A week or a few days ahead, maybe? Please?”

 

“Oh, that.”

 

“Yes! Because I need time to be emotionally prepared for anything that could happen!” Alex explained with a sigh and took another sip from her wine. “Jeez, Ned. Your old lady can’t catch up with you that fast anymore.”

 

“Noted. Sorry.” Elly pouts down to his fried rice.

 

“Cause…listen, three years from now, you’re gonna leave me because, duh, college? And who knows? You might run away and get married in Vegas or fly halfway across the globe to Japan, or Australia, or something!?”

 

“Okay, stop! Can you even hear yourself, ma?” He chuckled. “Because…that would be totally understandable!”

 

Alex frowned for real and Elly started laughing. She sets down his glass to the coffee table and sank to the couch.

 

“Are you making fun of my motherly feelings? How dare you, offspring!” Alex muttered as she fought tears that has started to swell in her eyes with a soft chuckle.

 

Elly giggled for a moment. He puts his food down and buried his face to his mother’s neck, while Alex sobbed half-faked but half-real. Wrapping an arm around him, she was reminded of how much he has grown. When only two years ago, they had a conversation like this, but it was her dating life they talked about.

 

“Ma...” Elly mumbled, initiating a cuddle to comfort his melodramatic mother.

 

“No, stop. My feelings are already hurt and there’s nothing else you can do or say to make things better.” Alex sniffed.

 

Elly pulled away for a bit, just enough to look at his mother’s warm brown and a teary eyes. Eyes that forgets how to be fiery and drops her bad-ass armor when it’s time for bed. He stared at her sincerely, tracing every detail and updating his memory of the tiny freckles on her cheeks and how the littlest of the wrinkles in her face are now starting to show. He studied the way her eyelashes curled, the folds of her eyelids and the blood vessels thinner than thread in her eyeballs. Elly admired how her nose peaked to a certain point, and goes smoothly down to her thin lips that spoke of kind words, sweet and tough love and more.

 

There were so many times that he wished he would look like her in a way. The color of her hair, the way she smiled, how she arched her brows or the shape of her chin. But all he could do was mimic the kind of clothes she wear. It would’ve made a little more sense, if not only for his dorky eyeglasses. This woman has taught him and given him so much, almost everything in her power for all he knew, only to make him feel so loved and to fit right in like he truly belonged in this wonderful family. And he’s grateful every day for that, and forever will be.

 

Alex gazed at the boy in front of him with his hair pulled back in a messy baby ponytail and blue-green eyes under his glasses glowing a bit bluer under the dim lights. Gone are the days when he looked so pure, cuddly and innocent. Hints of true origins on his face are clearer now, especially when his eyes smiled or when his lips curved into a soft smirk. A constant reminder of the fact that he wasn’t really hers to begin with, sending sharp little pinches inside her chest.

 

“You’re my ma. No one could ever take your place.” He mumbled as Alex’s gaze met his.

 

“Oh, my little Ned. I asked you not to grow up too fast.” Alex hugged him tightly, sniffing in his hair that still smelled of him and a bit of his shampoo. She let his words linger for a bit longer and the way his body rests in her arms because in a few years, he won’t fit like this in her embrace anymore. She’s not even sure if he’d still want her hugs in a few months when he turns thirteen.

 

“I love you, ma.” Elly whispered. _I am not your real son and I won’t ever be. But how I wish I was._

 

“I know. And I love you, son. Hear me?” Alex smiled when she felt Elly nod. She let out a sigh to help hold back her tears. “Lady Scotch is waiting.” She kissed him along his hairline before completely letting him go.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

That same evening in a one-bedroom apartment somewhere in National City, Brainy sat peacefully on the couch of his living room with his eyes closed as he multitasks. He was watching episodes of Black Mirror, a Japanese cartoon about pirates, reading modern poetry and solving his 73rd five-star Sudoku for the day, while also reviewing his report on their mission from that afternoon.

 

In the midst of it all, a dark figure started to interfere, appearing across his . His eyebrows furrowed as he observed and tried to understand what was happening. It was posing as one of the characters from the TV shows, embedding himself on the recorded surveillance footage at Tony’s, rearranging words from the poems that he was reading and the numbers from his Sudoku. The dark figure seemed to be playing with him. An all-black male humanoid in appearance, including his long hair, his eyes, even his skin and his clothes, with a playful smirk on his face making his presence a little spookier. When Brainy opens his eyes, the black humanoid was there too.

 

"Who are you?" Brainy suspiciously asked in a composed manner, despite the goosebumps flowing through his body. He swallowed, though not as easy as usual, but was relieved to find out that he was still able to.

 

"You know who I am."

 

The humanoid didn't even moved his lips, but Brainy heard his cold, vibrating voice through his skull loud and clear. He also found it distracting, to find an almost naked man hovering above his coffee table in a lotus sitting position, staring back at him with dark hollowed eyes.

 

"How did you get here?" Brainy asks.

 

"I am just like you, Brainiac.” The man whispered coldly. “I am everywhere."

 

The last three words seemed to have triggered something inside of the Coluan, making him shudder uncomfortably on his seat.

 

“No!” Brainy commanded, fighting whatever it is that has gotten under his skin but was having such difficulty. He shuts his eyes to focus, pulled short and deep sharp breaths but to no avail. Drops of sweat dribbled on his forehead as three glowing stones appeared and his skin slowly turned to a bluish hue. His dark hair turned to silver and there was calmness inside him again. He took a deep long breath before opening his eyes, with his face becoming as blank as his gaze.

 

"Finally. We meet again." Brainy uttered in a low tone without even moving his lips.

 

"Collector." The visitor smiled wildly.

 

"Conqueror." Brainy greeted back.

 

"It’s about time. We have so much to do."

 

"Yes, we do." Brainy slowly replied.

 

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door of his apartment.

 

"Who's there?" He asks loudly in his Barney voice, his eyes not leaving the hollowed darkness that was staring back at him.

 

"It's meee! You ready?" Nia's soft voice bounced outside the door, sending in a sudden spark of panic, making Brainy tore his eyes from his visitor.

 

"Dinner." Brainy whispered towards the door, suddenly remembering the time and his shenanigans for the evening. As he anticipated, when he looked back, the Black Martian was gone and his image inducer has turned him back to his human form. "Just a minute!" He yelled to the door before getting up the couch, snatching a jacket from the coat rack and headed out of his apartment without even looking back like nothing even happened.


	10. Too Little, Too Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chaos begins.  
> Captain Rad breaks out of the DEO prison for a killing spree.  
> Elly broke his power dampening bracelet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Graphic Violence Right Ahead

 

“And look who I caught into our mouse trap?!"

 

A lively voice of a man echoed. He was stepping on Alex’s right hand while she lay on the ground, left half of her body stuck under a collapsed concrete pillar. "It’s been a while, director!” He cheered, a set of yellow teeth peeking through his wide grin and shabby beard.

 

“Rad!” Alex dared, not even hearing her own voice over the ringing in her ears. By the looks of the explosion’s aftermath that surrounds her, the agency have been compromised. Her head is spinning and she can't feel or move her right leg for some reason, wondering if it’s still even there.

 

“That’s Captain Rad for you, director!” Cap was awed by his surroundings and breathes in the thin smoke through his nose, to blow it out again through his mouth. He beamed with such pride at his prey, who was panting helplessly on the floor. “And the DEO finally falls. Pretty rad! I know, right?”

 

With false audacity, Alex suddenly broke into a soft laugh, wincing in between due to a stabbing ache on her side. “A small fry like you can’t ever destroy what we stand for! Even the building itself refused to fall!” She chuckled, despite the throbbing pain and taste of blood in her throat while her eyes swelled up with tears.

 

Cap’s smile vanished and a large vein appeared on his forehead in exchange. “We’re not the Suicide Squad for a reason, sweetheart. And besides, my minions needed time to scatter.”

 

Only minutes ago, a massive explosion started from the ground floor of the DEO building, followed by a chain of explosions, ascending upwards and down to each of the underground floors. Broken chairs, monitor screens, chunks of concrete debris and dead agents littered the stone cold floor. The air was filled with dust and smoke, and stinks of blood and explosives. Walls have been blown to bits and a large portion of the floor they were standing on was missing. Even the side of the building where the glass windows and the small balcony that served as Supergirl's landing pad has now disappeared, leaving the headquarters’ main lobby open and exposed to the skies where a couple of helicopters hovered nearby.

 

“Why?” Alex grunts with her teeth clenched as she struggled to breathe.

 

“Will you believe me when I say…I used to be just like you?” He answered while squatting down with a curious look on his face, his weight squishing Alex's hand harder to the ground.

 

“I’m nothing like you!” She yelled to hide her pain.

 

Cap’s face became more serious. “How 'bout you, director? Why're you doin' all these?” He oddly asked. “What're you fightin' for?”

 

“I’m fighting for this country! This planet! To end threats like you!” Alex hissed while Cap just stared back at her with a sympathetic look on his face like he was feeling sorry for her.

 

“For this country? To end the likes of…me? I’m a threat to you?” Rad seemed to be confused from what he just heard. There was a short pause and he suddenly snorted. “You really have no idea who you’re workin' for, do you?” He snickered in such a way that made Alex turn red as a tomato.

 

The DEO director trembled as a sudden chill crawled down her spine. She tried to put on a straight face in between muffled grunts of pain and confusion. Half of her body remained unresponsive but she can still feel the pillar's heavy weight, squeezing her muscles.

 

“Ooh...trust me, soldier. You're just like me.” He tried to sweep her hair away from her face but Alex dodged his hand in utter disgust, flinching as she gasped for air. “Disposable. So, I’m gonna save you.”

 

“From who? From you?” She snorted.

 

“The system. The people you work for.” He whispered. “From your self-disappointment and shame, from your toy soldiers and everyone else that are hidin' in the dark...doin' nothin' but watch and listen to this conversation!” Cap stood up as he growled to the cameras that were left working in the lobby and waved, whilst holding a gun in his hand that he got from one of the agents. “Do you see me now?! This is just the beginnin'!” He told the cameras before pointing his gun to his prey.

 

“You-you don’t have to do this.”  _Not today._ Alex turned breathless, realizing there's no sense in talking to this madman. 

 

“Umm…yeah. Actually, I have to. Look, there’s no point in stallin'...”

 

**_BANG! BANG!_ **

 

Alex shrieked as blood from the gunshot wound on her shoulder splattered across her face. The bullets penetrated through her bones one right after the other, shattered her joints and her only capable arm now only hanging onto her body by skin and a couple of tendons. Tears escaped her eyes as she tried to pull her hand back from under his foot. "SUPERGIIIRL!!!!" She screamed helplessly for help at the top of her lungs, only to be interrupted by a gurgling cough of her own blood. "Anyone..." 

 

“Shh! Shh, listen! Do you even hear the sound outside?” Cap's eyes grew bloodshot with pleasure and excitement after seeing how his gun had performed. “Your friends are busy, even dead maybe, so no one’s comin' for you. Also...the Girl of Steel should be...dead by now.”

 

Alex breathed heavily as she distracts herself with the inconceivable nonsense of Rad's ability to utilize an exclusive DEO weapon while she fought the unbearable pain and fear away with everything she has left. Her body slowly becoming more frigid by the minute as warmth started to leave her. But then, who would obviously win in this situation given her current condition? She knew the answer pretty damn well but refused to admit it.

 

“Do you have a family, director? What? I can't hear you. I’m asking because…it’d be such an honor to save them too.” He shot her a wide-eyed grin.

 

“Y-you’re not gonna...g-get away with-th-this!” Alex grumbled, her rage suddenly coming up to the surface, chasing the fear away. The comms were down and by the sound of the city outside, she knew no one was coming. _Please, not today._

 

“This is my city now so, we’ll see. Any last words, director?” Cap casually stated, pointing his gun to her head.

 

**_BANG!_ **

 

“Oopsie!” He snorted after pulling the trigger without even letting her say anything. He broke into a disturbing wicked laugh, so loud that his raspy voice bounced through the wrecked walls of the DEO lobby.

 

* * *

 

It was a fine Saturday afternoon when Elly suddenly found himself among a thin crowd of people running in panic. Only a few minutes ago, he was taking a stroll along the shops of downtown National City, just about two blocks away from his home with a two-scoop ice cream cone in his hand when he saw it happen. Along with a few other explosions around the city, from the TV screens on the display window of a home appliances store he passed by, he saw it. And it happened right inside the DEO headquarters where Captain Rad’s words kept ringing in his head over and over like a broken record. It was all over the city and in live broadcast.

 

_“Do you have a family, director?”_

_“...it’d be such an honor to save them too.”_

 

Elly kept running, his hands now empty and mind trying to think clearly of what to do and where to go. It was more chaotic inside his head but one thing he knew for certain was he can’t go back to their own apartment. _Aunt Kara. I have to warn her._ He searched his pockets for his phone, but found nothing, except for a set of keys, few bills and coins he brought with him. _Shit!_

 

_“Do you have a family, director?”_

_“...it’d be such an honor to save them too.”_

 

_Likewise, you son of a..._

 

Elly ran as fast as he could. Speeding past bicycles and lampposts and other people making their way, jumping over trash bins, turning sharply through corners and alleyways that Larry told him about; taking the easiest, shortest way possible around town to his aunt's loft. He reached the building, sped up the stairs and bursts through the door to Kara’s apartment breathing heavily when he realized the tears streaming down his cheeks. Kara wasn’t there. _Of course, she must’ve ran right in the middle of this thing again._ How long has he been crying?

 

_He shot her at point blank..._

_This is all just a bad dream…_

 

And being the first thing he got his hands on, he knocked down the desk lamp on the bookshelf by the door. It fell on the floor with a loud crash but he didn't seem to hear it.

 

_He killed her..._

_This is not happening…_

 

His tears started blurring up his vision so he threw his glasses away in frustration, wiping his eyes as he paced back and forth, still panting and his heart racing. His head was spinning fast, in rhythm with his footsteps.

 

_She’s gone..._

_This is not real…_

 

He kept telling himself, unconvinced because it didn't make any sense at all. His foot reached the nearest bar stool, kicking it with full force and causing it to knock down the other one beside it. He slammed his fists on the dining table and sent the fruit bowl flying across the kitchen.

 

He had never felt so much frustration in his life, only realizing now how kicking and knocking things out of his way felt this good. He wanted more. He slammed his fists harder on the dining table, breaking his lucky band in half by accident. Small shards of blue and silver flew out of it, leaving a cut on his wrist before getting into his left eye and making him feel inflamed more than ever. He yelled in pain and poured out all his anger, kicking and knocking down everything around him. The room started to spin. The sharp stinging in his ears was piercing through his skull and his eyes burned like they were literally on fire. He knew he was bleeding because he can smell the stink of his own blood.

 

_He killed her and all I did was watch..._

 

He roared and kept kicking, throwing everything he got his feet and hands on with both his eyes shut tight, a hand over his bleeding eye. His temples throbbed angrily. The sound of crashing and broken things falling on the floor became vaguely louder, so does his heart beating like a bass drum until everything around him became a little too deafening. He can hear people talking, yelling, their stomping shoes on the ground coming and going in every direction, dogs barking, bicycle and door bells ringing, cars honking, firetrucks and police sirens and tires screeching, even Captain Rad's laughter somewhere beneath it all. Was it from the neighbor’s TV or was it from his own head and his memory just playing it again?

 

Covering his ears, he howled in anger, in confusion and in searing pain coming from his ears and his head that seemed to have spread all over that he can feel his whole body burning. There was something heavy, blowing up like a balloon inside his chest, as salty tears washed away the blood in his wounded eye.

 

_"AAAAAARRRGGGHHH!!!!"_

 

The pain in his eyes was too blinding. But when he tried to open them, the mess he made on the floor came surprisingly clear for his sight as if he was wearing his glasses again. Holding his breath in shock, he closed his eyes shut again and tried to rub them with the base of his palm. That’s when he saw his wrist; clean and unscathed, where he knew he saw and felt a small bleeding cut only about five minutes ago. He looked around the apartment and his heart skipped a beat or two from what he saw. He stood up slowly, still in shock, and looked around the real mess he has caused.

 

_What the hell?!_

 

The first thing he thought was to run towards the open door to close it, but ended up slamming it so hard that the whole wall shook causing tiny debris from the ceiling to fall. He held his hands up, waiting for the door to fall off its hinges but to his relief, it didn’t. How he wished the neighbors didn’t hear anything. Turning slowly around to look up to what seemed like a day filled with unrealistic events, he saw a long line of fresh burning mark etched on the concrete ceiling. Looking closely, he had the urge to touch it but snapped out of it as soon as he realized that he was indeed getting closer to the burn mark on the ceiling. He looked down to find his feet floating in mid-air, a few feet above the floor. When he gasped, he suddenly came crashing down leaving cracks on the floor.

 

* * *

 

Supergirl woke up still feeling a little groggy. Trying to think of the last thing she could remember only gave her a stinging headache. She was a bit surprised to find herself sealed inside of what seemed like a yellow sun bed. _This is new…where am I?_ Using her x-ray vision, she found herself inside an unfamiliar lab but was glad enough to see a familiar face. Brainy was standing right outside, holding a tablet and waiting for her to wake up. Gently, she pushed the sun bed open.

 

“Welcome back, Supergirl.” Brainy plainly said with a soft sigh of relief.

 

“What happened?” She asked, wondering why her body still felt bruised and heavy. "I remember chasing after Jack, but..."

 

“You umm…you almost died.”

 

“What?” Supergirl thought she was hearing things. She tried to sit up but her body screamed in pain.

 

“You’ve been shot multiple times with…disintegrating kryptonite bullets.”

 

“Wha-?”

 

“We found liquefied traces in your bloodstream but we’ve managed to flush them out of your body just in time. Well, most of it.” Brainy explained as he looked down his feet.

 

It took Kara a few seconds for the words to make sense, closing and opening her hands to see how that would feel. She realized now why her body feels swollen. “Lillian?” She wondered out loud.

 

“Or Lex.” Brainy assumed.

 

“But wasn’t he…killed in prison?”

 

“Allegedly. But let us not forget that he is still Lex Luthor.”

 

“Right. Plus, he stole Lena’s research long ago. Wait, did you check on Lena? Where is she?”

 

“She arrived here safely a few hours ago...”

 

“Good to hear.”

 

“In fact, we’re in her lab right now.”

 

Kara looked around the lab, only noticing then the small LCorp logos embedded on almost every equipment in the room. “Makes sense.”

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

“Fine.” Kara lied, hiding her breathlessness. “How long was I out?”

 

“Six hours, thirty-eight minutes and…”

 

“How about the others? Where’s Alex?”

 

“Uhh…about that…" Brainy swallowed.

 

“She went straight back to work? Yeah…the twins got away again?” She sat up on the bed wincing. It's still pretty frustrating but she's kind of getting used to that now.

 

“They did, but…” Brainy hesitated for a moment. He took a deep breath before proceeding. “…you should see this first.” He muttered as he handed her the tablet and played a clip of the live broadcast from earlier that day. “It’s gone viral.”

 

_“Do you have a family, director? What? I can't hear you. I’m asking because…it’d be such an honor to save them too.”_

_“Y-you’re not gonna...g-get away with-th-this!”_

_“This is my city now so, we’ll see. Any last words, director?”_

**_BANG!_ **

 

Supergirl jolted, opened her mouth to say something but only a faint sob came out. Suddenly, she can't breathe. Rad's laughter filled her ears and her head started spinning, speeding high up in the clouds making her heart beat too fast. Staring blankly on the screen, her teardrops fell on the Captain's laughing face right before her bare hands crushed the tablet into pieces. Her lips quivered and her hands trembled but Brainy snapped her back to reality before she could even react any further.

 

"Supergirl..."

 

 _I am Supergirl._ Kara suddenly remembered. Thousands of people outside are waiting for her, counting on her. This is not the time for her to be weak. She wiped her tears without meeting Brainy's gaze, and attempted to shake away whatever she's feeling. “Did she made it back here?”

 

“We were able to retrieve her body and…and we did everything we could but…"

 

“Her body...” Her mind drifted along with Brainy's words. “Where are the others? J'onn? Dreamer? Guardian?"

 

“They're still out there, scattered throughout the city helping out with the casualties. There were seven different locations this time." Brainy shook his head. “Too many. But what concerns me more is…”

 

“Elly. I have to find him first.” She snapped out of her own thoughts and jumped out of the bed, leaving the broken gadget on the bed. She wobbled clumsily on her feet but waved a hand when Brainy came to offer help.

 

“I got this.” Kara insisted.

 

“Of course. You have to find him at once, because...”

 

“He could be in danger. And he probably saw it. All of it. Today of all days.” Kara grew more worried about her nephew now.

 

“I-I believe he must be waiting in your apartment.” Brainy swallowed.

 

She sighed and nodded. “Brainy? Um…” Kara cleared her throat and took a deep breath to compose herself.

 

Brainy answered, already knowing exactly what's on the Kryptonian's mind. “I’ll take care of your sister. Go find him.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“I’m so sorry, Kara.”

 

She just blinked at him before speeding and flying out of the LCorp tower in a matter of seconds and up the skies of National City. The sun has already set. She hovered above for a short while to breathe and clear her head but the sound of the city is getting louder. Footsteps running and fire crackling, sirens blaring, tires screeching, people pleading for help everywhere. There were lines of smoke stretching up into the sky. The city below was in more chaos than ever. She still feels dizzy and there was numbness in her legs but there's no time to focus on that.

 

_That terrorist killed her on national TV…_

 

_“I can’t promise you a life without pain and loss because pain is part of life. It’s what makes us who we are.”_

_Out of all the possible days..._

_“Just be faster than me. I know you’re fast, but just be faster.”_

_I should have been there…_

_“You should be proud of yourself. You’re doing things that Superman couldn’t even do.”_

_That should’ve been me..._

 

Alex’s words kept playing in her head. Tears started to form along her eyelids but she managed to fight them back. _Focus, Kara._ She knew she has to think about something else and do something to end this chaos. _Rad. The whole Rad Squad escaped. Lillian. And Lex. Or whoever is behind it all._ Her anger and determination began to lead the frontlines, completely blocking out the painful details on her path and pushing them all the way to the back.

 

 _Elly, I have to find him fast._ She sped into the sky, faster than a speeding bullet to her apartment, her sister's voice still louder than the air blowing past her ears, drying her tears in the process.

 

_“Be cold. Be Kryptonian. Be alien.”_

 

* * *

 

_Please, be there…please, be there._

 

Kara scrambled for her apartment keys and as she was unlocking the door, it suddenly fell off from its hinges and landed on the floor with a loud crash. Good thing, the building was almost empty. She was surprised enough with the door but was completely shocked to see her apartment in a wreck. She hurriedly went in and looked around anyway, as her heart started beating faster.

 

“Elly?!” She called. Broken glasses and a lot of other things were scattered all over the floor. Books, fruits, lamps, photographs, chips of wood and concrete. A part of the kitchen counter was turned into a pile of rubble and the dining table was split into half. _What happened here?_

 

The couch appeared to be thrown away with such strength that it was now leaning against the wall by the bed on the other side of her studio apartment, thirty feet away from where it used to be. Window panes were missing and a bar stool was stuck on the kitchen cabinet like a dart on a dartboard. She listened closely and used her x-ray vision to see if Elly was stuck or hiding somewhere but there was no one else in there. _Has he been taken? Or maybe he just wasn’t here?_

 

Kara kept the unpleasant thoughts at bay but her heart sank after finding drops of blood on the floor by the dining table, not far from Elly’s metal bracelet that was snapped into two. _No._ It took her a moment to keep her head clear. She took a sample of the blood to bring back to Brainy for answers. _Today of all days._ Another surge of rage started to boil from the pit of her stomach. She knelt down to pick up Elly's lucky band to examine its damages closely. But when she touched it, her finger got cut causing her skin to bleed.

 

“Agh!” She slightly whimpered thinking it might be because of the traces of kryptonite still in her veins. But to her surprise, her wound healed the instant she dropped the piece of metal. _What is it made of?_

 

Kara wondered as she searched the drawers for something that could contain it. She found a small box lined with lead that she’s been keeping for kryptonite situations and placed what remained of Elly’s bracelet inside. _Who could have possibly taken him? And why cause so much damage to this place to take a thirteen year-old boy?_

 

And at the corner of her eye, she saw something unexpectedly familiar that made her jaw drop; up and across the ceiling was a line of burn marks that she knew fully well who could have caused.

 

“Scorcher?!” There’s no one else she could possibly think of. She hurriedly sealed back her door to its hinges with her heat vision and darted to her balcony only to find that the glass doors had been properly shut closed. _I never leave this door closed._

 

A series of possible events started playing in Kara’s head. She shook it off and went out anyway, to fly back to Brainy, remembering the few times her balcony door got closed. And she can only think of one person who kept doing it again and again.

 

_Where are you, Dumpling?_

 

 

 


	11. Elephant in the Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara finally explodes (metaphorically). Some Supercorp angst. Ugh.  
> And James comes in as a mediator. uwu

 

 

“Finally! We’re all here!”

 

Captain Rad yelled to his squad over the loud music as he popped open a bottle of champagne. All six of them sat together in a long booth on the upper floors, overlooking a crowded dance floor littered with strobe and green laser lights. Somewhere underneath the city, fugitives and escapees alike, of different shapes, sizes and species have gathered to drink, dance and celebrate with the infamous Rad Squad.

 

“Good work, kids! You make me proud!” Cap cheered as he filled six glasses of the sparkling drink.

 

“Love what you’ve done with the place, boss!” Elmo started, his smile widens as the laser lights ran across their faces.

 

“Ah! The twins did all these while were on vacation, Elmo!” Cap laughed while handing out the drinks. “The Wall, everybody.”

 

“Welcome back, Cap!” Jill stated, raising his glass while holding a bottle of beer on his other hand.

 

“Glad you made it out as planned.” Jack added, beaming.

 

“Everyone, meet Jill, our Tracker and Jack, our Trapper. Is that right?” Cap asked and the twins nodded towards the rest of the squad. “And of course, right here with us as well is the voice inside our heads, taking care of us, of everything, telling us what and what not to do…” He stated as he handed a champagne glass to a meek young girl wearing a hoodie over her long brown hair. “…our brilliant Caretaker, Z!”

 

“You flatter me, Cap. Nice to finally meet you.” Z shyly said, raising her glass and nodding to everyone as a greeting.

 

“And Skater here is our Runner, escape master.” Cap introduced.

 

“Nice to meet y’all.” Skater salute-waved once.

 

Cap stood up clearing his throat and raising his glass. “I just want to congratulate and thank each and every one of you for a job well-done. I’m here because of you. We are all here, gathered, unscathed, not only because we can heal ourselves but also because you all did your part.” He announced smiling while the others snickered.

 

“I want nothing more but to continue this kind of relationship between us. Remember, we are more than just a squad. I want you to have each other’s backs as you had mine at all times, as brothers and sisters; as my children. Together, we are unstoppable.” Cap stated seriously, meeting each member’s gaze as they listened intently. Then he raised his glass higher. “To family.”

 

“To family.” The squad muttered, clinking their glasses together and indulging on their drink. Elmo cackled after being the first one to finish and the rest either snorted or giggled.

 

After a satisfying  _aah,_ Cap cleared his throat again. “Moving on, consider this night as your night. Let’s celebrate! This city is ours! Drink, eat, dance all you want, do whatever the fuck you want, BUT…never shit where you eat, you hear me?”

 

“Yes, old man!” Jill answered excitedly while the rest of the squad cheered in agreement.

 

“Then after this, we’ll proceed to Phase Six.”

 

* * *

  

“Elly! Thank God! You okay?! Are you hurt?!”

 

Kara threw her arms tightly around her nephew the moment she saw him. “God, I was so worried!” She said with a huge sigh of relief, burying her lips in his hair.

 

“I’m okay. I-I’m really sorry, I didn’t call you sooner…” Elly replied with a stuffy nose while hugging Kara back. “I-I lost my phone while I was running…”

 

“Shh…it’s okay. I’m just glad you’re safe.” She gave him a comforting back rub, also shaking her own worries away. Seeing him with with his bracelet still intact made Kara feel more relieved, crossing off a few more from her list of things to worry about.

 

“Ma, she’s…” Elly met Kara’s eyes, unable to continue.

 

“I...I know.” Kara replied and swallowed with such difficulty. The sorrow in his eyes were almost unbearable. And the way they seemed to search her soul for answers felt like hot branding iron pressing on her conscience, forcing her to disguise her guilt with a deep sigh. “Listen, we’re gonna have to stay at Pops tonight. We can talk there, okay?”

 

Elly nodded and Kara’s eyes darted to Lena, who was silently watching at the back and hugging herself while leaning against her desk.

 

“Will you wait for me outside while I talk to your Aunt Lena? I won’t take long, I promise.” She took Elly into another long reassuring hug and planted a couple of kisses on his forehead as she ran her fingers through his hair. The youngest Danvers nodded weakly and gave Lena a goodbye hug, who returned a soothing rub along his arms and a soft kiss on top of his head before he made his way out of the CEO's office.

 

"Thank you for calling me right away." Kara started as soon as the doors closed behind him.

 

“He was already in when I got here. He was crying and he was so scared.” Lena replied. “I was on my way here when I saw the news.” She continued with a deep sigh as she hugged herself tighter. “I…I’m so sorry for your...” She sighed at the loss of words.

 

“She’s your...we,…we both…” Kara’s voice trailed, yet she let her body move. She stepped closer and reached out her hands.

 

Lena held them on reflex and gave a gentle squeeze as she nodded. “Today of all days.” She mumbled and sighed.

 

There was a moment of mutual silence between them. They stood there and held onto each other for a while, hoping that it would somehow be enough to comfort the other. The air was suddenly filled with huge sighs and a mute exchange of heartfelt gazes to acknowledge the unspoken, both of them feeling unsuited to ask how the other is feeling. Unable to hold that gaze, Lena gently pulled Kara into her arms to conceal the masks that covered both their faces. Nobody wanted to give away enough proof of how disconnected their minds are from their hearts at the time. Or maybe, it's just that they both refused to let the hard truth to sink in and make the most out of that quiet moment instead; the calm before the storm.

 

"Thank you for being here." Kara was the first to pull away, not noticing that she was mirroring the CEO when she looked down on her feet, hugged herself and took another deep breath. “I was so worried when I found my apartment in a mess and I can’t find him anywhere. I’m glad he’s here, safe. He surely does know how to disappear.” She tried to snort to lighten up the mood somehow but it came out lame.

 

 _He always have._  Lena thought to herself. “He did mention that he heard people trashing your place, but he was able to sneak out just in time.” Her voice was deep and calm.

 

“He must’ve been terrified.”

 

“He’s brave. Just like his mom.” Lena replied, in which Kara nodded to agree. “Listen, I-I know a safe place for you to stay in for the time being if…” 

 

“Lena, Lena…I can handle it.” Kara tried to smile while holding a hand up to interrupt her.

 

“Kara, it’s okay to admit if you can’t.”

 

“It’s…it’s fine, really. J’onn offered us the spare room in his apartment for the time being, so…umm...”

 

“Kara, it’s for your own safety. Please, it’s…it’s me.” Lena insisted.

 

Kara swallowed with a little discomfort. “Look, Lena…I really appreciate the offer and everything else that you’ve done for us. Thank you, but...” She shook her head and prepared to leave.

 

“But what? Kara?”

 

Kara took another deep breath, trying to search for the appropriate words to say. “We just…we need some time. There’s so much to do,…the…”

 

“I-I can take care of everything if you’d let me. This is Alex we’re talking…”

 

“Lena, no. Please…” Kara cuts in and winced at the mention of Alex's name. She looked deeply into Lena’s eyes, trying to talk to her long lost best friend the way that they used to.  _Drop it._  It was hard enough for Kara to face the truth of their loss, and talking to Lena again in her most vulnerable state didn't make it any easier. To her relief, it seemed to have worked somehow, getting another deep sigh from Lena as a response of withdrawing. “I don’t mean to offend, but…” Kara shook her head, smiling weakly and made her way towards the door.

 

“Just let me help, Kara…in any way?” Lena called behind her. “Please, don’t leave like this...”

 

For some reason, those words felt like a gunshot in Kara’s ears, making her flinch and stop in her tracks. Warm blood suddenly rose up into the veins in her head.

 

“I mean…I thought we’re a family here?” Lena continued.

 

At that, Kara just lost it and turned to face her. “You know what? So did I!” She suddenly cried out in a displeased tone.

 

“Excuse me?” Lena was surprised and confused.

 

“You want me to tell you something before I leave?” Kara glowered at her, sounding somewhat annoyed. "Really?"

 

“What are you trying to...?” Lena paused to think. It took her a few seconds before she understood what those words meant and suddenly let out a short laugh while shaking her head in disbelief. It was absurd and the timing was off.  "I’m here to help and I’m planning to stay for good.” Lena calmly stated, completely unaware of the effects of what she just said.

 

“For good? Oh, wouldn’t that be convenient!?” Kara frowned. She isn’t sure what has suddenly gotten into her. But whatever it is, she knew she needs to get rid of it right away because if not, she’s going to lose her mind completely.

 

“Wha– I’m doing this for Elly, okay? Why are you...” 

 

“Oh, no! You don’t get to say that!” Kara held up a finger to interrupt her.

 

“He is my godson too! And I am basically entitled to look after…” 

 

“No, you’re not!” Kara cuts her off again, breathing heavily. “I’m his legal guardian now.”

 

“You’re being irrational, Kara. This is not about you!” Lena had to remind herself to take a deep breath and keep herself composed. She knew she had to keep her cool because starting an argument especially at this time and situation won’t make anything better. “Look, I totally understand what you’re going…”

 

“Now you think you understand?!” Kara cuts in again snorting, as if what Lena just said was ridiculous and a little too offensive. Tears started to swell up in her eyes. “You gotta be kidding me.”

 

“Why are you acting like this, all of a sudden?! I only wanted to help!” Lena pointed out again, getting a little impatient.

 

“You left me!!!” 

 

That was it. Kara heaved, finally setting those words free from the vault inside her chest. It was somehow liberating to say it out loud in front of the only person it was meant for. She didn’t mean to be selfish at the moment, but it felt like the right thing to do. She knew she already lost her best friend a long time ago, but losing Alex too just seemed to be too impossible for her to deal with. It was worse than being shot with kryptonite bullets; too painful for her to endure and too heavy for her to carry. She had no idea that it was all she needed to say to feel a little less weighted. It felt good and she wanted more. She needed more.

 

Lena was left speechless. She had never seen that look in Kara’s eyes before, but she recognize what it meant. It was only then she fully noticed how Kara’s usual bright and sunny face had been clouded with dark circles and heavy weight. Deep blue eyes turned cold and now filled with resent, with anguish from sadness and loss, sending chills through her veins while her gaze seemed to pass through Kara.

 

“You left me with nothing to hold on to but a promise that never even happened!” Kara wasn’t done yet. Her voice cracked and tears streamed down her face, unmistakably because they’ve been kept in for far too long. “Ten years, I let everything slide! I tried and kept it all inside, waiting and hoping for something that wasn’t even there to begin with!" She was breathing heavily. "A fucking damn decade, Lena, how could you even understand that?!” 

 

Lena was stunned and her mind started to wander aimlessly. She didn’t know. All these time she thought everything was fine and long forgotten.  _It never happened._  She thought, trying to convince herself for what seemed like the millionth time. But it did. She tried to swallow the lump stuck in her throat. How she wished it was enough to choke her, to make her suffer and pay for the all pain she had caused the person in front of her. But it wasn’t. The reality turned out to be scarier than she ever imagined. The memories, the feelings, all the what ifs and could have beens that she tried her best to forget and had buried a long, long time ago in her itty bitty boxes now suddenly came back to the surface to haunt her.  _It wasn’t supposed to be like this._  All of a sudden, she can’t breathe. Her heart kept skipping beats that felt like deep stabs in her chest. She didn’t even notice that she was crying too until a broken sob escaped from her mouth and made her breathing more difficult.

 

“And you chose to be with my sister?” Kara let out a fake laugh despite the tears and her voice trembling. “But you know what? That’s fine by me! She’s happy, you’re happy, Elly had never been happier…who am I to go against that?” Kara frowned and shook her head, but tears never stopped pouring out of her bitter eyes. “Oh yeah, I'm Kara. I'm your best friend. I'm not some city, or some office, or some doorway that you could just walk in and out of as you please, of course I would understand. We’re family! That’s fine by me!”

 

“Ka-…Kara…” Lena wanted it all to stop, but she can't say it. She doesn't want to hear anymore, but everything seemed to be falling apart right in front of her eyes. She never even thought that there were enough words that Kara could say to hurt her this much when used against her like a cold slap in the face. There was pain in her eyes that Lena can’t even describe. But she can feel it, like a fifteen-foot wave crashing down on her, wiping her out, over, and over, and over. 

 

“Oh, don’t worry, that was a long, long time ago.” Kara nodded blankly as she wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter anymore and I don’t care anymore. You're right, this isn’t about me. This is about Elly.”

 

Lena opened her lips to say something but a sob was all she could make.

 

Kara took another deep breath and swallowed to compose herself. “Feel free to do that to me again, and I’ll take it. I’ll take it gladly.” She said, calming down a bit. “But not Elly. And he is never going to have any of that bullshit from you, no. You won’t ever get to do that to him. I won’t let you.” She managed to end the conversation in a calm and casual manner before walking out of the double doors, leaving Lena completely disillusioned.

  

* * *

 

 

“I brought you guys some dinner. Pizza and potstickers.”

 

James sat on the edge of the bed where Kara sat with her back on a pillow while Elly lay fast asleep with an arm around her and using her tummy as a pillow, his eyes still swollen from crying.

 

“Thanks, James. But I’m not really hungry.” Kara smiled weakly while she ran her fingers through Elly’s hair.

 

“Just try to eat something, at least.” James said with such concern.

 

“You didn’t have to do this, James.” Kara replied, her voice completely worn-out.

 

“No, I have to and I wanted to, Kara.” He softly replied. “How’s he doing?”

 

“Not good, but at least he finally fell asleep.” The blonde sighed. “I can’t imagine how he must’ve been when he saw the broadcast.”

 

James let out a huge sigh, the heaviness on his chest completely showing on his face. No one else could be more affected by what happened today than Elly.  _Today of all days._  He thought, shaking his head and feeling sorry for his godson.

 

“How are you holding up?” He asked softly as he offered his hand for Kara to hold.

 

Kara reached for him and tried to think of an answer but came up with nothing. She shook her head instead as a response. “I don’t know. I don’t think I could even take the time to take it all in. I have to stay strong for him.”

 

“Hey, you can take all the time you need." Kara's touch felt cold between his big warm hands. "You don't need to go to work for a week or two, I'll handle it. I’m here for you, okay? Both of you, whatever you need. I’ll stay for the night and keep watch.”

 

Kara slowly nodded and gave his hand a soft squeeze before letting go.

 

“I’ll leave the food on the table, just in case you change your mind or he wakes up in the middle of the night.” James added while giving Elly a soft pat on his shoulder before getting on his feet.

 

“Thank you, James.”

 

“Don’t mention it.” He turned to step out of the room.

 

“Uh, James?” Kara called softly and James turned to her. “Can I ask you a favor?”

 

“Yah, sure. Anything.”

 

* * *

 

 

"Did-did you make 'em?" Elly asked under his stuffy nose.

 

"No. A-Alex did." Lena lied as she secured a new power dampening bracelet on Elly's wrist.

 

"S-so...she knew?" Elly asked between his sobs that slowly started to fade. "What am I exactly?"

 

"I-I'm not sure." She stuttered, not knowing how to respond. She watched the glowing blue light underneath Elly's left eyelid finally disappear. "But she always said you're...you're special."

 

"Can you...will you help me, Aunt Lena?"

 

 

“Lena? How are you holding up?” James asked as he pulled away from a lengthy embrace while a thin air of expensive alcohol greets him in Lena’s office the next morning.

 

Lena snapped out of her thoughts. “Like I just lost three important people in my life in one night?” She answered in a raspy voice that appeared to be as jaded as her face. She slumped back to her chair after refilling her drink from the refreshments for the fourth time as her breakfast, making her breathing as deep as her sighs.

 

“You know that’s not true.” James disagreed, though a week straight’s worth of exhaustion has undoubtedly appeared on the CEO’s pale face in the span of twelve hours.

 

“I don’t know, James. I felt like I screwed up everything.” Lena sighed as she took another sip from her glass of scotch. “I should’ve been here.”

 

“Hey, that wasn’t your fault, Lena.” James differed with concern. "We all did the best we could."

 

“I could’ve made her a better suit, at least.” She slowly blinked, staring through the drink on her hand while her mind drifted far away.

 

James can sense the detachment in her tone. He searched for words to comfort her, though he knew nothing would suffice. “You and your company have done so much for this city for the last decade even after you moved back to Metropolis. I may not know exactly what you're going through, but I do know you’re gonna get through this.”

 

“Eventually. But Elly, he’s…” Lena let out another heavy sigh after snapping out of her trance. “It was his birthday. How’s he supposed to move on from that?”

 

James took a deep breath, also in wonder. “It will take him a while, but that’s why we’re here. All of us, we’re all here for him.”

 

Lena nodded absentmindedly and paused before speaking again. “Has everything been taken care of?”

 

“Yes, Brainy and J’onn are taking care of everything.”

 

“Those goddamn terrorists...” She sets his drink down hard on her desk but not hard enough to splatter whisky on her desk, causing James to wince a bit. “How is Elly?” She asks as she drew small circles on her temple with her fingers.

 

“He didn’t eat last night but he was able to sleep.”

 

“And Kara?” She asked, without meeting his gaze. “She was a little…upset when they left last night.”

 

“She mentioned that. Though, she didn’t say what she was upset about, but you should know that she didn’t mean to leave things like that.” James sighed. “This could be, by far, the worst case scenario she’s been in and she’s going through a lot, Lena. She still has a lot to process. Please, be patient with her.”

 

“I know. And I understand, I really do.” Lena sighed. “Alex told me that she tends to push people away when things get too tough.”

 

“Yeah, she’s like that.” James softly muttered.

 

“And only Alex can get through her.” Lena closed her eyes that were tired of being restless from her own thoughts.

 

“I don’t think so.” James leaned against the backrest of the chair he was sitting on in front of Lena’s desk. “If there’s anyone else that can get through her at a time like this, it’s you.”

 

Lena let out a weak laugh. “She refused every single one of my help, James. She won’t even talk to me.”

 

“She’s starting.”

 

“She doesn’t want to see me, she doesn’t even want me here…I won’t even be surprised if she won’t let me see Elly anymore.” She took another sip from her glass.

 

“That’s also not true.”

 

“Oh, come on, James. You know her more than I do.”

 

“Yes, I know her. But not the way that you do.” James countered, shifting on his seat. “And what I know is that, she’s shutting you out because she knows you can get through her.”

 

Lena lingered on the thought as she stared blankly at her drink. “Not anymore.” 

 

James gave her a sympathetic glance before taking a picture frame out of his messenger bag and stared at it. “You two were like mac and cheese, burger and fries, peanut butter and jelly. Everyone in the family knows that words aren’t needed to describe what you two had and the elephant had been running around the room long enough.” He had to let out a short sigh. “It may not look like it, but…Kara needs you.”

 

“What even makes you say that?” Lena shifted on her chair, listening intently.

 

“You did not hear this from me, okay? She asked me to check up on you.” James stood up slowly and laid the picture frame face down on the CEO’s desk before getting up on his feet. “It’s a critical time for all of us. But I know you two will sort things out, eventually. Just try, Lena. For Elly.”

 

A huge sigh was her first response. “Will you let me know if there’s something else I can do for them? Or Elly?”

 

“Sure, I’ll let you know.” James nodded. 

 

“I was thinking of taking him to Metropolis with me for a few weeks or until school starts.” She suggested. “For a change. What do you think?”

 

“I think that’s a good idea.”

 

Lena nodded weakly in response. “Thank you for visiting, James.”

 

"I know, you need her too." James muttered before stepping out.

 

When the doors closed, Lena swiveled her chair to face the glass windows and stare out into the morning after of the chaos from yesterday. She had been watching the news on mute in her office since last night. The Governor had already declared a state of emergency. And even though the medical, fire and police department had been responsive and helpful in general, it still appeared like portions of the city had been burned down overnight.

 

_“I know you need her too.”_

 

The throbbing in her temples hasn’t faded in the slightest since last night, and refusing to feel anything at all again seemed to become a little harder for Lena this time. She started rubbing her forehead to ease the throbbing. _Everything will be okay soon, Lena. Just take it one thing at a time._

 

That's what Alex would always tell her when she's going through something. Her death was too unreal that it hasn’t even sunken in yet. It was already too much to take, what more to handle everything that’s left. _Stay on top._ She reminded herself, taking a deep breath and reaching for the picture frame that James had left across her desk. It was a picture of her when she visited CatCo a few years years ago, hugging Elly with his back facing the camera. Their smiles were wide and their eyes closed, with a surprised-looking Kara, also smiling behind her and wrapping her arms around them. Lena had to breathe out a long sigh at the sight of it, reminding her of another hard truth that she has yet to confront.

 

 

 


	12. Spaces In Between

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara admits she’s having a hard time being around Elly.
> 
> Lena had a lot to say as well.
> 
> Razz and Leila went to see Elly but as it turns out, one feels more worried than the other.
> 
> A little more about Leila.

 

“James! Have you talked to her yet?”

 

James looked up from his desk in surprise and a bit confused with why this person just entered his office. “Kara? What are you doing here?”

 

“I just dropped by to um…”

 

Though Kara obviously made the effort to dress casually and tie her hair to a fairly neat ponytail, James can’t help but notice the restlessness and dark circles around her eyes. Puzzled and worried, he quickly got up and offered her to sit on the couch before closing the glass doors of his office.

 

“I said I’ll handle it. Nia can take care of your workload for the meantime.” He muttered as he bounced from his swivel chair.

 

“I just needed to get some air.” Kara replied as she sluggishly settled on the couch with a sigh.

 

“You can fly, Kara.” James muttered with a smirk, the moment he sat right next to her in an attempt to make her smile, which worked somehow in his relief. “No, seriously...what suddenly brings you here? Is everything okay?” He anxiously asked.

 

“Yeah, it’s just that…” Kara sighed as her words trailed off. She pushed her eyeglasses back in place and licked her lips, unaware that her mind also started to trail away, remembering the scene over breakfast that morning.  

 

_“So I was thinking of dropping by my place later to get some clothes. Do you wanna come with?”_

 

She asked over the dining table while Elly gently poked holes on the pot stickers on his plate with his chopsticks.

 

_“Dumpling?”_

 

It was a quiet morning in J’onn’s apartment where Kara and Elly had been staying for the past few days. The large slice of pizza on Kara’s plate only had two bites and her coffee was starting to get cold. She looked up from the day’s crossword puzzle she was working on, which she can’t seem to get the answers right except for the words _enamored_ and _precede_.

 

_“Elly?”_

 

_“Hm?”_

 

Elly looked up with a small crease forming between his eyebrows while the chopsticks on his hand kept poking on the dumplings, slowly turning it into some kind of fish bait.

 

“How is he?” James asked, pulling Kara back to the present.

 

Kara only took a deep breath and pressed her palm with her thumb, letting out a huge sigh before answering. “He’ll never be the same.”  

 

_“Now, how are you gonna eat that with chopsticks?”_

 

Kara asked as she stood up from her crossword to get a set of spoon and fork from one of the kitchen drawers. She smiled weakly, before setting the set of utensils down right next to his plate.

 

 _“Sorry, I…”_  Elly replied, looking down on his plate, surprised to see what he had done. _“…t-thanks. You didn’t have to.”_

 

 _“It’s okay, I’m here to look after you. You want some fried rice with that?”_ She was about to get back to her seat when he answered.

 

 _“Please, don’t.”_ Elly swallowed hard, as if her words tasted bitter in his mouth.

 

_“What?”_

 

_“I said no, thank you.”_

 

Kara lightly clicked her tongue, refusing for the possible bad temper to brew. But the words that followed just slipped from her lips without thinking. _“Sorry, but I’m afraid you’re stuck with me, Ned Stark.”_ She stepped close enough to run a hand through his hair before leaning in to leave a quick kiss on top of his head. But to her surprise, Elly swerved his head away just in time before her lips was about to touch his hair.

 

 _“Don’t call me that.”_ Elly mumbled coldly. _“You’re not her.”_

 

Kara wasn’t expecting to hear him say words like that. Three simple words that felt like a sharp stab in her chest and make her regret that she cannot undo calling him by that name. The nick name he always hated, yet Alex kept endearingly calling him by. Her heart skipped some beats, unable to shake away the thought that he might be blaming Supergirl somehow for what happened to his mother or might already know something that he wasn’t supposed to.

 

 _“I-I know that. I-I’m just trying to…”_ Kara stammered, unable to come up with the right words to say.

 

 _“Then stop trying!”_ Elly’s tone grew a bit louder all of a sudden. _“I’m thirteen already, so you don’t have to be chummy and cuddly with me all the time! I don’t want it, I don’t need it, so please…”_

 

_“Dumpling…”_

 

 _“And stop calling me that! Will you? Please!”_ Elly had his fingers pressing against his forehead and taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down after noticing his sudden change of mood.

 

 _“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”_ Kara swallowed uncomfortably while her hands trembled behind her back, gripping the hem of her sweatshirt as she tried her best not to tear up. Quietly and slowly, she retreated back to her seat at the opposite end of the dining table.

 

She knew there will be outbursts eventually, and she had been thinking about that for the last twelve hours. It’s what actually kept her up all night, the tragedy’s aftermath and how it would affect Elly psychologically, emotionally and physically, and how long it would take for him to recover. What she wasn’t able to anticipate was how hurtful it could be for her when she’s already in that moment. _I should’ve been there. I should’ve been able to stop it…_

 

Elly knew that the words he said to her came out of nowhere and they horribly came out wrong. He got to his feet to leave the table, but paused abruptly like he was hesitating, and taking another deep breath before speaking.

 

 _“I-I’m sorry too. I’ll be in the bedroom.”_ He muttered before turning around to head straight for the guest room without even waiting for his aunt’s response.

 

It felt like something was chasing after him the moment he carefully shut the door. It was getting harder for him to breathe and his heart raced faster as he tried to catch his breath. He found himself dropping on the bed and burying his face in a pillow, just in time before a loud sob escaped his mouth. _I could’ve done something. I could’ve been there to stop it…_

 

“I know I have to stay strong for him, but…every time I see him, I…” Kara took a deep breath and exhaled the heaviness out of her chest. She stretched her fingers that were starting to feel numb and looked down at them as they started to tremble. “I failed him, James…it’s my fault he has to go through all this.” She mumbled as tears started rolling down her cheeks.

 

“Hey, don’t say that. You know that’s not true.”

 

“I should’ve been there, that should’ve been me!” She blurted out before a loud sob escaped her.

 

James leaned in closer and responded with a lower tone. “You were shot with kryptonite bullets which dissolved into your bloodstream. You almost died out there!” He reminded her.

 

“But I didn’t! It was Alex who got…”

 

“And that’s not your fault, Kara.” He interrupted.

 

“It’s not fair!”

 

“Of course, it’s not fair! We were outnumbered!”

 

Kara sniffed and shook her head as she let the heaviness from her chest leak out of her eyes. “I can move faster than any speeding bullet and I can’t even save her! My own sister…I let her die. I let her die alone…” She said in between sobs.

 

“Kara, please…don’t do this to yourself.”

 

“Then what am I supposed to do? I’m the one who had all these powers! I just know it, deep inside, he blames Supergirl too. And whenever I talk to him, it’s like…it just constantly kills me! I can’t even look him in the eye!” Kara started sobbing as she fidgets with her fingers. “You know how much I hated keeping secrets from people that matter to me, I was about to tell him that night! I was about to fly him around the city as my gift for his birthday! But now, he can’t know that I’m Supergirl because the moment he does, he’s gonna hate me! Do you know what means?!”

 

James placed his hand over Kara’s shoulders that shuddered as she sobbed. His eyes genuinely fixed at her; anxious, listening, empathic.

 

“I can’t keep lying to him forever but I can’t lose him too, James. And I can’t let him see me like this! I know I have to be strong, I want to, I really do but I-I don’t know if I can!” She sniffed, trying to suppress her sobs in.

 

He took Kara in his arms as she sobbed on his broad shoulder, tears streaming down her cheeks and leaving dark tear stains on his light gray button up shirt.

 

“I don’t know how…I can’t be Supergirl if I’m like this. Everything just seemed to be falling apart and I don’t know what else to do! What am I gonna do?”

 

“Just be there for him, Kara. Stay strong. I know it’s hard, but it would mean a lot to him. To us.”

 

“She’s gone!” Kara blurted out as another heavy sob escaped her. She bawled in James’ arms and he just let her. “She left me!”

 

Being strong is mandatory but it was indeed a lot to take in. James suddenly felt his eyes burning and he let it. Together and in each other’s arms like brothers and sisters, they silently shared their grief.

 

For days, Kara had been trying to keep a straight face and James didn’t know how to make her feel better or make her see the brighter side of things because he himself can’t see it. Rubbing her back gently with his comforting hands, he thought he could at least help her calm down and make her feel that she’s not alone.

 

“Everything is gonna be okay, Kara. You have to believe that. Keep holding on to that. I’m sorry that I don’t know all the answers, but I’m here. I’m here for you.”

 

Kara just nodded and wiped her tears dry with her fingers when he let her go from his embrace. They both smiled, and James dried his tears with the back of his hand. There was a mutual silence between each other’s presence. A sense of comfort in the midst of heartache, of longingness, of loss, even just for a while.

 

“Listen…”James cleared his throat and sighed. “…I talked to Lena and…I can see that she’s worried about you too.” He waited for a response but Kara just kept silent. “Why don’t you try talking to her directly? Or call her maybe?” He looked at her carefully to study her face but all he saw was Kara slowly shaking her head in refusal.

 

“She’s a Luthor. She has so much on her plate already. I…I can’t.” Kara swallowed and sniffed. “And besides, this is more of a family matter.”

 

At that, James took a deep breath and leaned his back against the couch. It doesn’t make any sense to him why Kara was suddenly acting cold towards Lena, but he tried at least to fill in the gap.

 

“Your sister meant a lot to her too, and she’s practically part of your family. You know that, right?”

 

“It was kept a secret for a reason, James. And besides, it’s better for her to keep her distance.” Kara answered, looking a little miffed and James had to let out another sigh.

 

“She’s a Luthor, okay. Imagine, she could’ve just stayed in Metropolis, mourn peacefully in her penthouse and go on with her business, as usual, or maybe she could’ve just gone to Paris or Tokyo or somewhere else to move on with her life. But she didn’t. Look, she’s here with us, Kara. It’s a really hard time and yet, she showed up. She’s here for you and Elly. Isn’t that what real family does?” James explained but Kara just kept shaking her head.

 

James let out another huge sigh before mumbling. “And she umm…she was thinking of taking him with her for a few weeks.”

 

“Take him where?”

 

* * *

 

“I’ve been calling him and her ma’s phone since the other day but they’re both out of service.”

 

Leila scratched the end of her furrowed eyebrow as she tried to make another call on her phone without any luck. “Still nothing.” With a sigh, she sits down on the tiled floor of the hallway, right outside the door of Alex and Elly’s apartment.

 

“The guys from chess club haven’t seen him hanging around the park either.” Razz replied.

 

“Would you be hanging around a park if your mom just died after you were threatened to be killed on national television?” Leila answered cheekily.

“Err…should we try at his aunt’s place again? Or maybe at CatCo? Do you think they’ll let us in?” He suggested as he leaned against the door and swept his shiny dark hair away from his slanted eyes.

 

“I don’t know. Maybe? Or we could just leave a note for his aunt or something.” Leila clicked her tongue in dismay.

 

“Yeah, I think we should try that. Come on, I know the way.” Razz straightens up, ready to go.

 

“Can we just wait here for a while? Like…ten minutes or something?” Leila groaned, refusing to move from her sitting position on the floor. “Someone might come or…”

 

“Hey, you guys! What are you doing here?” Kara’s voice bounced with a little surprise along the hallway when the elevator doors opened.

 

“It’s his Aunt Kara!” Razz whispered as the blonde woman walked towards them.

 

Leila bolted up to her feet, not expecting to see the CatCo reporter smiling back at them. Underneath the messy bun, knitted sweater and skinny jeans, Leila can still see how pretty she truly is just by the bright glimmer in her tired eyes.

 

“Hey, Razz! How’s your summer? And…you’re Leila, right?”

 

“Yes! Hi! Nice to…nice to meet you!” Leila stammered and swallowed as she offered her hand, which Kara squeezed gently after a silent _oh._

 

“Sorry, I kept missing you on our afterschool ice cream dates.” Kara replied apologetically, her cheeks turning a pale pink.

 

“M-me too. We just…can’t seem to…” At the sudden loss for words, Leila glanced sideways to her friend, asking for some kind of rescue.

 

“We…” Razz started, unsure if he should mention Alex’s name. “We’re sorry about...umm…what happened.”

 

“We just thought we should go and see Elly. How is he?” Leila asked with such concern. “We’ve been trying to call his cell, but…”

 

“He’s not here and he lost his phone, sorry. He’s staying somewhere else for the meantime.” Kara explained as she searched her pockets for the apartment keys.

 

“Can we…can we see him?” Leila swallowed with her anxious puppy eyes pleading.

 

“Umm…I’m sorry, I can’t tell you where he’s staying. But I can tell you how he’s doing. You wanna come in?” Kara offered when she opened the door to Alex’s apartment.

 

“Oh. Okay.” The teenagers exchanged defeated looks.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Is it weird that I really feel so worried about him?”

 

Leila suddenly asked as she watched a droplet from her tall glass of milkshake roll down, to form a bigger droplet while sitting in a small booth at Tony’s Ice Cream Parlour.

 

“No, I’m worried about him too.” Razz replied as he took a large bite off of his cheesy bacon hotdog sandwich. “I can’t imagine what he could possibly be going through.”

 

“How could you even eat like that?” She asked squinting, cringing a little at the smudge of mustard on Razz’s cheek.

 

“Am hrngry! Wiff been wundring fer ‘ers.” He murmured with his mouth full.

 

“I can’t stop thinking about how devastated he could be. I can’t even sleep last night for some reason.” Leila shook her head in disbelief. “What happened to him was really scary. Can he even sleep at all?”

 

“Errkay…” Razz glared at her suspiciously while she let out a huge sigh. He swallowed and cleared his throat. “Are you even gonna drink that?”

 

“Sure. Here, you can have it.” Leila pushed her strawberry milkshake towards him, the crinkle between her eyebrows unfading.

 

“His aunt is obviously taking good care of him. And his Pops and Uncle James too, for sure. He’ll be fine.” Razz muttered before taking a long sip from the milkshake and exhaling with a loud and satisfying _ahh_. “His Aunt Lena is probably in town too for the funeral. We can go see him there.” He added.

 

“Aunt Lena?”

 

“Yah, Lena Luthor.” Razz replied before taking another bite from his sandwich. “She’s a family f’iend f’om Met’opolis.”

 

“Ah.” Leila looked around the almost empty ice cream place and suddenly realized something. “Wait, did you said Luthor from Metropolis? As in like…Lex Luthor?” She leaned in and whispered.

 

“As in like, Luthor Children’s Hospital? Yah, Lex is her brother.” Razz swallowed and burped, which Leila completely did not paid attention to because she was listening too intently. “But Lena’s different. Everyone in this city knows she’s _The Decent Luthor_ out of all the Luthors in the world. Haven’t you heard?”

 

“Oh sorry, I forgot I wasn’t even from around here.” She eyed him widely, shaking her head and wanting to hear more. “I’ve only known terrible things when I hear the name Luthor.”

 

“Riiight. For starters, she invented the Alien Detector for the locals, and the Image Inducer for aliens that wanted to fit in. She’s CEO of L-Corp, owner of CatCo - according to Elly, and also a backer of some of the manufacturing plants here in National City - according to the Business Weekly. Also, L-Corp grants college scholarships, especially to those who got accepted in MIT.” Razz beamed with pride. “And rumor has it, she was friends with Supergirl. She even funded the Supergirl Statue, and made her a special suit.”

 

“Really? That is so cool!” Leila gasped. “But what’s she like? I mean, in person? You’ve seen her in person, right?” She licked her lips while her eyes grew wider with interest.

 

“Ah! I only met her once at school. Was it fifth grade? Yeah. She was a member of the school board, I think, and she would only show up in big events. She’s a really nice, very fine lady if you ask me.” He told her before taking a loud slurp from the strawberry milkshake. “She funded most of the STEM Club’s field trips and the Chess Club’s too.”

 

“Even the Chess Club?”

 

“Yup! Turns out, she likes playing chess too. Some will say she looks scary in person, but I don’t think so, because I know she’s really nice.” Razz answered casually as he chewed on his snack. “I mean, she’s scary in a good way, I guess, because who wouldn’t be scared of her? It’s not every day that you see the most powerful woman in the city, just walking around the school campus in her high heels and red lipstick, right?” He added, and noticed how Leila appeared to be lost in her own thoughts.

 

“I…I should probably go home.” Leila suddenly blurted out and shifted on her seat when she saw his suspicious gaze again. “Will you ask Kara about the funeral schedule? She knows you more anyway, so…we’re going, right?”

 

“Mm-hmm.”

 

“What about Larry? He’s coming too, right?”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

“Okay, great!” Leila got to her feet and prepared to leave.

 

“Wait, I’ll walk you home!” Razz tried to finish up the rest of his hotdog sandwich but Leila held up her hand.

 

“Nah, I can walk myself home. Finish your food, I’ll go on ahead.” She waved him off, left a few paper bills on the table before heading quickly towards the exit. “See you around!”

 

===

 

“You wanted to take him to Metropolis? James told me.”

 

“Y-yes.” Lena stammered. “He’s been through so much trauma and I thought he could use some time away from here.” She stood by the open bedroom door in J’onn’s apartment, fidgeting with her fingers and leaning uncomfortably against the door frame, as she watched Kara unpack some clothes.

 

“Was it his idea?” Kara didn’t even bothered to look up from emptying the duffel bag filled with what she took from Alex’s apartment earlier on.

 

“What? No!” Lena wasn’t expecting to hear that kind of question. “It was my idea. He doesn’t know about it yet because I thought I should ask you first.”

 

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Kara said flatly while sorting out her clothes from Elly’s that she was laying out on the bed. “He has friends here who worries about him too, so…maybe we should let them help him instead to recover, or let him figure it out on his own. He won’t be a kid forever.”

 

Lena swallowed. “O-okay. I’ll let you think about it, then.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

That made Lena felt like she’s already being dismissed, but was reminded of how James convinced her to keep trying. “Listen, Kara…I-I know it’s hard and I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you…”

 

“You have no idea.” Kara mumbled as she folded Elly’s clothes carefully before putting them inside the dresser drawers.

 

Lena took a quick deep breath before the veins in her forehead could even protest. “But I want you to know that I’m…I’m still here if…if you’ll ever need me.” She swallowed hard.

 

“J’onn let you in, you can find your way out.” Kara muttered, still refusing to meet Lena’s gaze.

 

Lena squeezed her eyes shut and let out a huge sigh but refused to turn around and leave. “For what it’s worth, I…I just want to say that…” She swallowed hard again before continuing. “…I-I’m sorry, Kara. For everything.” She started, her voice trembling a little. “I am so sorry for hurting you in ways that I could never understand. I swear to the Gods, if only I could take it all back, I would…”

 

* * *

 

 

With her mind still wandering, Leila watched an empty coffee cup fly as she kicked it over and over the pavement while she walked on her way home. She picked it up only when she passed by the tenth trash bin just outside a modern designed apartment building. Usually, it would only take her not more than ten minutes to get home in a cab, but since she met Elly and Razz, she preferred taking the thirty-minute walk to her home instead. And besides, she needed it.

 

The street where her family decided to move into almost a year ago was not as busy as the others. It was in a more secluded and quiet part of the rent-controlled side of National City, most probably designed for dinkies because there were gastro pubs, gyms and coffee shops nearby, while the nearest child-friendly establishment, which happened to be a dog park, is way out about a mile away.

 

Leila was already halfway through the entrance of their pet-free apartment building when she noticed a parked car waiting out front. And while inside the elevator was undeniably quiet, something felt uncomfortably loud inside her head.

 

Her heart started racing the moment she entered their unit. It was supposed to be empty because the housemaid had been on leave for the rest of the summer, but someone else was obviously in there. She can smell it, the faint hint of espresso from the front door. There were silent footsteps inside her father’s study and a soft thud before a familiar _“Oh, dammit!”_

 

“Mom?!” She bursts into the study, surprised. “I thought you were in Coast City? What are you doing home?”

 

“Oh, hi dear! Yeah, we were, but your dad asked me to pick up some documents for him. Work stuff. Where were you?” Her mom rambled nervously.

 

“I…I just went out for lunch with a friend. How about you? Have had lunch yet? I-I can make you something quick from the kitchen.” Leila stammered while she followed her mom out of the study and into the master’s bedroom where an open suitcase was waiting by the bed.

 

“That’s sweet of you, dear, but don’t bother. I’m gonna head right out anyway, I just had to get a few documents from your dad’s study.”

 

“Documents are…digital now, mom. I could just e-mail them to you.”

 

“Not these paper documents.” She smiled at her, pointing at a black briefcase sitting on the bed.

 

“I mean, I could’ve just scanned and send them to your…”

 

“Oh, you know your dad and his confidentiality. He keeps saying paper files can’t be hacked.”

 

“I could’ve had them shipped to your hotel, then.”

 

“Leila, dear…” The woman paused from stuffing things in the open suitcase and turned to her daughter. “…tell me, am I ruining a moment here?” She deflected.

 

“What?”

 

“You don’t have plans tonight, do you?”

 

“Uh…no.”

 

“You’re not about to…have a party here and get some booze?” She squinted suspiciously at Leila.

 

“No!”

“Why was I not invited? Oh, wait…you’re not having a special guy over, are you? Huh, young lady?”

 

“God, no! Mom!?!”

 

“Then why does it sound like you’re not happy to see me?” The businesswoman resumed on stuffing a long coat and a pair of shoes in her suitcase with her lips in a pout and her big brown curls bouncing with every step.

 

“N-No, I don’t mean it like that. It’s just that…it’s a long way out here and I am well aware of how important time is for you. Do you not ever get tired of travelling back and forth, like this is just some kind of a drive-through?”

 

“Oh, sweetie…” She hummed and glanced at her daughter with concerned eyes. “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s a biometric briefcase. You know what that means, right?” She finally zipped her suitcase close and sets it upright on the floor.

 

“Yeah, okay. You could’ve just called firsthand so I could’ve helped you…wait, are you leaving already?”

 

“Yeah, my flight is in less than two hours, so I really gotta run.” She answered as she puts on a new pair of shoes from her walk-in closet.

 

“Umm…my friend’s mom died and I wanna go to the funeral in a few days. Can I go?” Leila asked as she watched her mom tick boxes off a checklist from her phone.

 

“What? Your friend died? Oh, I’m really sorry to hear that, dear. The more reason why you should just stay home, it’s not safe outside these days. Haven’t you been watching the news lately?”

 

“You have? And yet, you don’t even call to check in on me?” Leila mumbled softly to herself with her eyebrows raised. “And it’s not my friend who died, it’s his mom.”

 

“I’m really sorry, dear, but I gotta run. Stay safe, stay home, and stay out of trouble, please? Promise? Great! We’ll send you a gift for your birthday, okay? Take care.” She just gave Leila a quick kiss on her temple before heading out of the master’s bedroom, down the hallway and straight out of the door.

 

Leila sighed deeply, shaking her head as she watched her mom run past her with the briefcase in one hand and a suitcase on her heels. And just like that, she found herself staring at the closed door like nothing even happened.

 

“My birthday was three weeks ago, mom. But thanks, anyway.” She mumbled softly to herself before letting out a long sigh. “Bye, love you too.”

 

It wasn’t the first time that her parents had forgotten about her birthday. Although she has gotten used to it by now, she can’t help but brood with the small tub of rocky road ice cream that she snatched from the freezer. Her parents forgot about her birthday, Razz is acting all weird, Elly is nowhere to be found, just like her appetite. She doesn’t feel like eating at all, but she thought maybe some ice cream can help with the soggy feeling.

 

Retracing her mom’s footsteps along the hallway, she made a beeline for her bedroom with the tub of ice cream in tow. But as she entered her safe space, she found, awaiting on top of her bed was a large black chipboard box with gold stamped logo on the lid and a small white envelope. Her heart started to dance again with a puzzled smile across her face as she pulled out the card to read a short note.

 

_I hope you like it. Have fun!_

 

_P.S._

_I was never here._

 

As a businessman’s daughter, Leila always knew that her parents weren’t as affectionate as parents should be, most especially her dad. But deep down, she knew that her mom always cared for her. And even if they were mostly subbed by nannies and housemaids on PTA meetings or school events, her mom was always ever supportive of her pursuits. It may sound a bit shallow for some, but small gestures like gifts and handwritten notes such as this had always been a huge deal for Leila.

 

With her heart thumping faster than earlier, she quickly took the lid off the box almost breathless, with her eyes gleaming, almost teary and wide in disbelief. Inside, tangled between thin wrapping papers was a pair of knee-high riding boots made of black leather.

 


	13. Tea Time With Nia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena had been keeping the planner that Kara gave her.
> 
> Friends came to honor Alex in her funeral while some also came to do the exact opposite.
> 
> Nia saw herself. Bleeding and dead.
> 
> WARNING: Contains Graphic Violence

 

 

“I’m sorry, Kara. For everything. I am so sorry for hurting you in ways that I could never understand.” Lena blurts out, her voice slightly trembling.

 

Unbeknownst to Kara and even Alex, or pretty much anyone, there were so much more that Lena wanted to say. There were so many times that she wanted to tell Kara, send her messages, thinking and typing everything she wanted to say on her phone for almost half an hour, only to fail from tapping that send button. So many times she paced and rehearsed for minutes, wanting to call her even as a prank especially when she had too much to drink, just to hear her voice, her laughter or even the soft, narky way that Kara asks _“Who is this?”,_ and yet so many times she kept pressing the home button instead of the call icon. Countless of times she wrote her letters almost every night, poured her tears and heart out in the pages of the planner that Kara gave her from her first day as the owner of CatCo. _“It’s a Danvers tradition.”_  Kara once said, that very same day she felt like she officially became a part of the Danvers family. It was special and she still has it, keeping all her secrets, hidden away in a concealed compartment in the bottom drawer of her bedside table, resting peacefully underneath the holstered K6s that Alex gave her last Christmas.

 

Heaving before holding her breath, Lena clenched her fists to stop herself from trembling, praying that her emotions won’t betray her even in the slightest bit. But her eyes burned without any warning and tears suddenly started streaming down her face as a sharp sob escaped her mouth. _“Don’t you dare back out this time, Lena! For once, just get this over with!”_ She kept telling herself before finally blurting her heart out.

 

“I swear to all the Gods, if only I could take it all back, I would. I never meant to leave things between us the way that it did and I’m sorry. Ten years, I know…and it killed me every single day, knowing that it’s all my fault and I did absolutely nothing to make it any better.” Lena rambled with her voice cracking in between sobs, yet she only swallowed hard before continuing. “I-I love you, and Elly, and Alex. You are the ones who showed me how a family should be, who made me feel like I’m a real part of a family that isn’t dysfunctional for once.”

Something slowly sank inside Kara’s chest and a burning sensation started to swell up in her face. Never in her dreams did she ever thought of hearing those words to come out of Lena Luthor’s lips. She sat frozen on the bed, stunned in silence from what she just heard, unable to believe that it was actually happening. The woman in front of her doesn’t sound or look like Lena at all. Not the Luthor-Lena or Alex’s Lena or her best friend Lena from a long time ago. This appeared to be a completely different woman. She knew it must’ve taken Lena more than just courage to say those words.

 

“You can tell me that it’s wrong, but I choose you as my family. And I know it in my heart, even if you think that I don’t have any; that I will always choose you and will keep choosing you, over and over, over my own family. It’s not…this is not something I…” Lena choked and almost got lost in her words but swallowed hard to fight it. “…but here I am, admitting that I fucked up and that I…I don’t want to lose you. And that’s the truth. Maybe I don’t deserve it at all, but please, Kara…forgive me. For everything.”

 

All of a sudden, Kara found herself running towards the doorway to take Lena in her arms. On instinct, her hand slipped gently around Lena’s waist, while the other found its way to her nape. Lena’s hands were shaky, yet felt soothingly warm around her back, tempting her eyelids to rest close for a while as a familiar whiff of whisky and a hint of vanilla latte filled her nose. And oddly enough, it felt like a huge wave of relief. That lingering instant felt completely vague inside her chest, though, utterly nostalgic. It somehow felt like a reunion, a homecoming. It suddenly felt like home. And for some unknown reason after all these years, she still can’t bear to see Lena like this.

 

“Shh…” Kara whispered.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Kara. I’m so, so sorry...”

 

“Shh…that was a long time ago, Lena. Let’s just leave it all behind us.”

 

“It-it felt like I’ve already lost you a long time ago.” Lena mumbled in between sobs.

 

“You didn’t.” Kara whispered softly to her ear. “And you won’t.” She pulled away to finally look at those teary light-green eyes that made her knees tremble a little, sincerely asking for her forgiveness. “I promise.” And without even thinking, she found herself kissing Lena just above the eyebrow as her mind drifted.

 

They were the best of friends even before Elly happened. A complete opposite, yet they had so much in common. They knew each other too well, that finishing each other’s sentences was like something they do in their sleep. They didn’t even have to say anything at all to talk and understand each other; just by the way they look at each other’s eyes, the way they speak with their eyebrows and how they decipher each other’s lip movements, they were an absolute, ridiculous pair of secret agents and partners in crime. For Kara, Lena was more than just a friend or a sister. For all she know and if there really was such a thing, Lena was her soulmate.

 

Lena’s eyes closed on reflex to welcome the warmth, the last of her tears rolling away as she felt the huge weight from her chest has suddenly lifted. She sniffed, catching a whiff of Kara’s scent, creating a whirlwind of emotions in her chest, flashes of large ice cream tubs, Big Belly Burgers and of other bittersweet memories inside her head.

 

“Stop it, okay?” Kara tucks a stray strand of hair behind Lena’s ear. “You’re starting to make me think you’re not Lena Luthor at all.” Kara whispered with her sunny smile and eyes a little teary, giving Lena a glimmer of reason to smile in return.

 

* * *

 

 

Alex’s family and friends gathered before her final resting place in the Heroes’ Memorial Park, along with a number of her subordinates and agents in their full gear to pay their last respects. Sam was there with Ruby, who had been crying silently since the moment they arrived. So were the Kents with young Jonathan, who was only a couple years older than Elly. Barry, Iris and Cisco made the short trip, along with Felicity and Oliver, while Sara looked on quietly from behind a distant tree. Maggie was there too, while Leila, Larry and Razz with his mom were huddled together on one side.

 

Nia was a bit worried at how Elly appeared to be detached since she saw him today. Eliza seemed to be holding up pretty well, accommodating everyone but never leaving his side since she arrived from Midvale. Kara had been restless since the wake began, making sure that everyone was being welcomed and stuffed with Pecan Pie, and that everything is pretty much peaceful from a 5-mile radius.

 

Elly looked a little more grown up in his all-black coat and tie, with his thick rimmed glasses on and his long brown hair down to his shoulders, but his face as blank as plain paper. He had been keeping his responses short to a nod when people come up to greet him and express their condolences, not even the slightest smile even upon meeting people for the first time.

 

The immediate family made a short speech about their best memories of Alex. Eliza and Kara said their pieces, both ending up in smiles and a bit of laughter, while Elly decided not to speak, although he prepared one. When it was J’onn’s turn, his eyes were the saddest that Nia has ever seen. And as Alex’s commanding officer, Colonel Haley also went to the front for her own speech. She started to speak but no sound came out of her mouth.

 

Nia blinked and turned her ear to make sure that she hasn’t gone deaf. Her eyes wandered to see that everyone else seemed to be listening intently to what the Colonel was saying. But in her ears, everything suddenly fell silent. J’onn kept turning his head from left to right like he was looking for someone. And when her eyes met his, they knew something wasn’t right.

 

There was no sound at all, but a glint of green from a distance caught Nia’s attention from the corner of her eye. J’onn noticed her sudden reaction and turned to the same direction to see what it was. In that instant, only Nia noticed how everything seemed to have turned to black and white, as J’onn’s head turned in slow motion. She squinted and focused on the glint that had been coming in slow towards them from behind the trees far away. She had never actually seen one of those before, but she was pretty sure that it was a green Kryptonite bullet.

 

“EVERYBODY DOWN!!!”

 

She yelled as she turned her head only to see that there were three more bullets coming from every direction. It was a very lousy moment. Even her own voice came out of her lips in slow motion, way slower than she could ever comprehend. She doesn’t understand it, but she knows something was terribly wrong because she can see things clearly, her eyes and her thoughts processing the situation even faster than it normally should.

 

Everyone seemed to react slowly, except for Kara, Clark and Barry.

 

Barry caught one of the bullets made of lead with a Kryptonite tip, only a feet away from Kara’s nape while Colonel Haley was already falling to the ground after getting hit in her left temple. Clark caught the other bullet as it pierced through his hand, with his own blood splattering on his and Lois’ faces while she covered Jonathan. J’onn’s eyes were glowing red as he assessed the situation while James, Brainy and the DEO agents helped the civilians out of the park. Lena took a hold of Elly and Eliza, already crouching down while a layer of impressively glistening emerald green and hints of silver slowly covered her entire body like an armor. It wrapped around her, the same way as the suit she made for Supergirl, just in time to deflect another bullet that should’ve pierced through her shoulder blade. It bounced off, hitting Larry directly in the eye and killing her in an instant. From a distance, Sara was running away from her spot behind the tree, already armed with her swords and going towards a line of what appeared to be Enhanced Harun-El users that started to attack.  

 

Nia was seeing everything, all four bullets, where they came from and where they are headed or to whom they were meant for; the lines of armed EHE users, together with the alien escapees, leaping, running, attacking from every direction; Team Flash, Team Arrow, Superfriends and the DEO all springing to action, but still in slow motion that she can even see how Barry moves the fastest of them all.

 

In the middle of the chaos, Nia suddenly wondered why she wasn’t doing anything. In the middle of what looked like another organized attack from the Rad Squad, she just stood there, turning around slowly in every direction just to watch everything happen, just as slow, right before her very eyes. The attackers seemed to move strategically, aiming for the DEO agents first as they dropped dead to the ground one by one, while specific teams of the Rad Squad rebels seemed to be assigned to isolate each superhero according to their weakness. Guns against swords, dry ice against speed and green Kryptonite against Kryptonians. Psi was there too, leading a team against the Martian Manhunter. And not too far from where Nia was standing, another glint caught her attention. A glimmer from a pair of eyes, from a familiar face that she had seen up close before.

 

It was hard not to notice him, standing seven or eight feet tall and floating steadily, just above the ground where Haley’s body lay motionless. He was nearly dressed for the occasion, wearing a pair of pleated trousers and skintight vest made of silk that were the same color as his skin; black and shiny as ebony. Only that he wasn’t wearing any shirt underneath, his chest dark and bare like his incredibly long hair that was tied in a low ponytail and flowed gracefully with the wind. His feet and arms were exposed, with bands of glistening gold around his biceps and wrists. He was smiling back at her, with hollowed eyes as dark as night and just a tiny, playful wave of his fingers sent shivers down her spine.

 

Nia can’t forget that face. It was only for a mere second but she was sure it was him he saw from her dream while she was inside that casket. _Death?_

 

“Am I dead?” She suddenly asked herself.

 

_“I think not.”_

 

Everything else was still silent. Her cold sweat dribbled down her nape at the sound of the deep cold voice inside her head as the Black Martian smiled back at her.

 

_“Take your time, half-Naltorian. This is your fate.”_

 

The words left Nia more confused. Her heart started to race as she watched, unable to move her body. But oddly enough, her eyes and her mind felt unbound. Without even thinking, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes as if on instinct. And when she opened them again, she found herself no longer wearing a black and white dress, but on her blue and silver Dreamer suit. And she can move freely.

 

Looking around, she was surprised to see herself from behind her, with eyes closed and wearing the black and white dress that was her physical body.

 

_“Splendid.”_

 

She heard the voice in her head again, turning around to face the dark creature still beaming at her with such interest.

 

“Who are you? Why are you doing this?” She demandingly asked.

 

_“I do not matter, half-Naltorian.”_

 

The voice echoed loudly inside her head as the smile on his face disappeared and was replaced with a blank stare. He tilted his head a little to the side and Nia only needed to blink once before he was gone.

 

Searching her surroundings, she finally heard sounds of horrible grunts and loud screams. The grass remained gray but was suddenly splattered with red and littered with dead bodies of both humans and aliens alike. Everything still moved in slow motion, yet her heart raced faster as she ran to help against the nearest attacker.

 

“Jonathan?! Jon!”

 

“Grams!”

 

“No, Ollie?!”

 

“Razz? Razz!”

 

“Mom?!”

 

Nia stopped dead on her feet after hearing all these familiar voices around her, crying and screaming for help. She swallowed hard, her mind undecided what to do first. On her feet, she found Agent Vasquez gasping for air, squished under a large purple skinned alien with thick blue blood gushing out from an open wound on its neck.

 

“H-help!” The agent groaned and Nia quickly positioned herself to push the dead alien out of the way. But to her horror, she just passed through the dead body, unable to move nor touch the physical world.

 

“No!” Nia cried in frustration. Though she was able to conjure her whip successfully, she was unable to strike or do anything with it. Dreamer kept on trying, but ended up dropping on the ground to her knees disheartened, when she realized there was nothing else she can do but watch, so she did. And she watched helplessly as her friends and their friends fought and scattered aimlessly, with blood-stained and ash-stricken faces, screaming with anger, in frustration and more grief. Gunshots, loud thuds, the sound of bones breaking and the stench of blood reeked through the air.

 

Everything was so surreal like a scene taken out of a movie. Every punch, kick, and beating, every gunshot, slash of sharp steel and splash of blood, every leap, block and dodge echoed in her head. The heroes fought hard and gracefully, but the villains fought bolder, harder, that at some point, Nia thought it was some kind of a dance or some kind of a prank. But to sum it all up, she saw everything. Even the ones she never thought she would see or was even supposed to.

 

There was a sudden snigger inside her head; annoying, quiet, clear. She whirled around to see the dark creature again, hovering just above a marble tombstone a few feet away in a lotus sitting position and holding a small red cup on one hand and a plastic spoon in the other. He was shaking his head, smiling, like he was somewhat amused with his snack and what was going on around him.

 

“You!” Nia called angrily and charged towards the Black Martian who seemed too distracted to even notice her.

 

“N-Nia?”

 

Nia stopped in her tracks to turn around, surprised and somewhat relieved to hear a familiar, comforting voice from behind her.

 

“Nia? Can you hear me?”

 

“Brainy?!” She called loudly. “I’m right here, where are you?” She turned around to see that no one else was left standing but her. Even her own physical body must have fallen somewhere.

 

“Wake up.”

 

“What?” She turned around trying to look at where his voice was coming from.

 

“Come on, wake up!”

 

It took her a while to rush back and remember where she left her physical form, and had to return her heart back after it jumped out of her chest when she found it lying on the gray grass with a heavy, bleeding slash across its torso.

 

“You have to wake up, please!”

 

Still with a flash of panic, Nia took a quick deep breath and shut her eyes close. She tried her best to focus and relax until her breathing slowed down.

 

“Nia!” Brainy muttered under his breath as he leaned in closer to the table where his girlfriend sat frozen across from him, holding a teacup against her lips and its liquid contents gradually dripping on the slice of blueberry cheesecake in front of her.

 

Nia suddenly jerked awake, spilling more lukewarm tea on the table and onto her lap while Brainy sighed in relief.

 

“Are you okay?” He asked with a worried look on his face.

 

“What happened?” Nia blinked, as she breathes heavily and sets her drink down with a trembling hand. Only then, she remembered that she was in the middle of a coffee date with Brainy and totally unaware that she had been crying.

 

“You tell me.” He mumbled anxiously as he handed her his table napkin while his eyes scanned their surroundings in search for nosy onlookers. And thankfully, nobody had seemed to notice.

 

“Something big is about to happen and we have to plan three steps ahead!” She whispered in gritted teeth.

 

* * *

 

 

A skinny old lady trembled as she slowly got off the airport taxi with a bit of help from her walking stick. Kindly enough, the driver left her suitcase by the curb, in front of a dark brick-walled apartment building. With her back slouched slightly, she took a deep breath and scanned the quiet neighborhood, looking up and down the street then up again to the apartment building in front of her.

 

“Hmm…not bad.”

 

Like a wand, she tapped her suitcase with her cane and its wheels suddenly started to roll on its own, trailing right behind her. Lowering her oversized sunglasses after entering the quiet lobby, she looked around and mumbled again to herself under the low music that had been playing.

 

> _“If I could speak to the sea, what would she preach?_
> 
> _I'd ask her, what does it mean, to know the depths of belief?”_
> 
>  

“Not bad.”

The same music from the lobby played inside the spacious elevator as she smiled at her well-aged reflection from its walls that were lined with mirrors while she waited for it to reach the top floor. When she stepped out of the lift, the song still played soothingly along the empty, well-lit hallways.

 

 

> _“I'd ask them, what do they seek as they descend from the trees?_
> 
> _Perhaps they'd rest at my feet, administer healing in the tea that I drink…”_
> 
>  

Leila sat on her study chair with both her feet resting at the edge of her bed and tapping a pen against her puckered lips, still in wonder how Elly is doing. _If I was him, I would definitely need a friend to talk to._ She suddenly gasped in surprise, almost falling from her swivel chair when she heard that weak creaking of their front door and a familiar tapping sound of a third shoe after a particular person had entered. She held her breath to listen closely, hoping she wasn’t only hearing things.

 

“Not bad. Where’s my cuppa?”

 

That was Leila’s cue to dash out into the living room and find an old lady in her trench coat, oversized sunnies and a walking stick in her hand with a shiny blue crystal, shaped like a teapot on the top end.

 

“Granny!?!”

 

“There she is!” The old lady exclaimed, smiling widely.

 

“You found me!” Leila ran towards her grandma, almost knocking her down in a tight embrace and burying her face in her trench coat to take a whiff of that mild and soothing bergamot scent. “You’re here! I can’t believe you’re actually here!”

 

The old lady chuckled with her cheeks flushed. “I’m sorry, it took me a while.”

 

“I thought I’d never see you again! Dad kept telling me...”

 

Granny scoffed. “Oh, please. This teapot is old enough to know where to find you. Did you get my present?”

 

“Yes! And I’ve been studying them all summer! They’re incredible so I made more!” Leila’s baby blue eyes sparkled with excitement.

 

“You managed to reproduce them?”

 

“They multiplied like crazy! Though, my first try had only 62% success rate and died within a week, but I was able to raise it up to 88.7% and stable on its third week!”

 

“Better than my 85.5%!? Good job!” Granny beamed proudly at her granddaughter, taking a closer look at how much she has grown. “Oh, look at you…you’ve grown taller!”

 

“I did?”

 

“And more beautiful…just like your mom.” Granny smiled.

 

“She was…” Leila suddenly gasped at a realization. “She sent me a new pair of boots because she knew you’d come to visit! I knew it!”

 

“Oh, she knows me well. Go pack a suitcase and your riding gear, then. We’re leaving tomorrow.”

 

“So soon?”

 

“Why, you have plans, dear?” Granny made her way towards the sofa with her hand on Leila’s shoulder.

 

“Well, this friend from school…it’s his mom’s funeral in a few days.”

 

“You got yourself a friend?” The old lady seemed surprised.

 

“Granny…”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, dear. How about we leave right after?”


	14. In Loving Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena started to train Elly in secret.
> 
> Flashbacks of Agentcorp fluffy pillow talks and Alex’s farewell note for Lena arrives on her desk (sealed with a twist).

  


"Focus! Stay calm and use your head!"

 

Lena exclaimed in a scowl as she locks Elly into a body triangle on the training mat.

 

"Ngggh!" Elly groaned as he struggled to escape with all his strength but to no avail.

 

“Tap out or pass out?! They’re not gonna hold back! Why should you?!” Lena cried with aggression.

 

“I could hurt you!” He grunted under his breath, his face slowly turning red.

 

At that, Lena lets him go as she got to her feet with a deep sigh. “You need to tap out!” Lena catches her breath with her hands on her waist. “If you really want to do this, you’re gonna have to hit real people, you know?”

 

Elly rolled over and got to his knees to catch his breath. “Can’t I just strangle someone else?” He groaned, comforting the lingering pressure on his sides with his hands.

 

Lena shook her head and let out another huge sigh. “Listen, Elly…the Image Inducer is already out there. Anyone could appear to be someone you know, and the moment you hesitate? That’s when you fail.” Lena concluded based on experience. “Again!”

 

Elly got to his feet and straightened his training suit made of elastic fabric as if it needed any straightening. They've been training in secret for weeks now, in one of the floors underneath L-Corp Northeast Tower in Metropolis, with Lena personally teaching him with combat techniques and disciplines, how to control his powers and make use of them effectively and efficiently. He had to wear his power dampening bracelet every time they train together and he can't believe that it was actually this hard. He realized that applying the laws of sciences to his movements and mastering them as fast as he can wasn’t easy, especially when he can break things easily just by touching them. Breaking things isn’t always a good thing, nor a good feeling. But he was determined to learn and make up for what happened back in National City.

 

"Come on! I’m getting a little too tired of watching you fail, Danvers!” Lena scowled as she pinned him down harder into another body lock, making him groan a little louder.

 

 _Use your head, nerd! Come on, think!_ Elly prodded himself. There was a sudden moment, a split second where his lips curled into a smirk which Lena probably didn't notice.

 

"Dammit! I'm a Luthor!" Elly suddenly growled with his cheek literally squished against the mat. And then he felt it. There it was, his opening. Lena's grip has suddenly loosened and he didn’t waste any second. He twisted his body and squeezed himself free from her, did a quick solid sweep with his feet and throwing her off balance. The next thing they knew, he was on top of her. Their cold eyes met, as he held her down in a shoulder lock while they breathed heavily and in sync.

 

Lena was baffled within those split seconds, yet impressed. Her face was more ash stricken than flushed by the sudden turn of events. She got to admit, she wasn’t expecting that. Her mind started to drift, as if she had been splashed with a bucket of ice and forgetting to tap out. She must’ve looked like she’d seen a ghost because Elly started to chuckle while looking down at her.

 

"Gotcha!" He teasingly said before pressing a loud kiss on her sweaty cheek to clear his way out of a possible trouble. He didn’t even need to wait for her to tap. His triumphant laugh echoed as he stepped out of the mat to get himself a drink.

 

"Dammit, Danvers." Lena whispered before sitting up to catch her breath and snorting in disbelief that she actually fell for that.

 

"Heads up!" Elly called out as he throws her a bottle of cold water that she caught without even flinching. “Nice catch!”

 

Lena glared at him, her ears almost as red as a tomato. She lifts the cap from the squeeze bottle, taking in a few refreshing gulps before spilling the thin jet of cold water around her face. She soaked her forehead wet and let it dribble down to her neck without even taking her eyes off of him.

 

"What?! You told me to use my head!” Elly concluded, uneasily gazing back at her with a trace of guilt in his voice and hoping he didn’t upset her in any way. “I can’t beat you, so I tried to think like you! And it worked!"

 

Lena didn’t answer. The cold chill on her skin from the water and her sweat helped her regain focus. She attempted to throw the squeeze bottle back at him and it could've hit him right in the face only if he didn't caught it just in time. His soft chuckle echoed again inside the training room, making her roll her eyes and shake her head in disbelief. Though she did felt a little bit pained for being outsmarted like that, a smile still escaped her lips. She felt way better now compared to the past few weeks. Her plan is working and bringing Elly here to train him as a distraction helped a lot with his coping. He’s laughing again.

 

===

 

“No...no! NO! MA!”

 

Lena found herself suddenly jumping out of bed. Still on her satin nightgown and bare feet shuffling down the cold marble floors, she snatched a fancy glass bottle from her bedside table before rushing to the room next to hers while taking a swig of scotch straight from the decanter.

 

“Hey, you’re okay, I’m right here.” She whispered softly in Elly’s ear, as his hands wrapped tightly around her. “Breathe, darling. Just breathe.” She mumbled while running her warm hands swiftly up and down his back.

 

“It wasn’t a dream…it keeps happening…make it stop...” Elly grumbled as he buried his cheeks against her chest, trembling, sobbing, soaked in cold sweat and having difficulty in breathing.

 

“Everything’s gonna be just fine. I’m right here.”

 

“I don’t want any more of it! Make it stop, please!” He pleaded, almost screaming.

 

“Okay, okay!” Lena responded in an instant, cradling him in her arms. “I’m gonna make it stop, just take a deep breath for me, okay? Keep breathing, come on…deeper.” She took a deep breath herself for Elly to follow and carefully choosing the right words to whisper in his ears. “Good. You’re doing great, a couple more...”

 

It took Lena a few tries to figure out the safest words to use, regretful at how terrible she was in the first three days for not realizing that even a single _shush_ could also trigger him. Though that instance, it didn’t take long before Elly’s breathing has finally slowed down. He finally stopped trembling and his sobs had faded. And it was quiet again, hearing nothing but his loud breathing.

 

_“Melancholy moon, why are you hiding from me?_

_Way behind the clouds far away for me to see...”_

 

Lena found herself singing softly as she watched him breathe slowly and deeply back to sleep with his hand holding hers. His first week in Metropolis was the hardest. Though there was something soothing about watching Elly sleep, her heart ached at the mere sight of him crying in his sleep and the thought of her not being there to kiss enough of his terrible dreams away. As much as she wanted to stay to make sure he’s alright and to make up for all his sleepless nights that she wasn’t there, she can’t. She doesn’t want to leave his side especially at times like these, but she knew she has to. It was for his own good.

 

_“Melancholy moon, I miss the sparkle in your eyes,_

_Remember the last time you looked at me, I smiled?”_

 

===

 

“Can I go swimming after lunch?” Elly suddenly asked, waking Lena up from her daydream while he wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand.

 

“Sure! Yeah, of course.” Lena gets on her feet and out of the mat. “You want to try it without the band? Let’s check out your force and speed underwater.”

 

“Oh, no, no. You wouldn’t want a Waterworld here. I just want some quiet time. Besides, that five-lane Olympic pool is a lot of water to deal with.”

 

“You have freeze breath for a reason, rookie.” She smirks and throws a towel at him. “And oh, heat vision?”

 

“I don’t think my adolescent pair of lungs and my right eye alone can be fast enough to vaporise 330,000 gallons of water.” Elly inferred.

 

“Have you ever?” She asked with an eyebrow raised.

 

“Why do you keep sowing seeds like that?”

 

“Are you not curious about all the things you can do?” Lena snapped at him. “Oh, scared of breaking things again? It’s okay, I don’t mind. But you know you’ll have to fix it yourself, right?” She playfully winked at him.

 

“I knoooow!” He groaned and Lena snorted.

 

“That was our deal, rookie!”

 

“For whatsoevah a man soweth, that shall he also reap! Yeet!” Elly cried.

 

“But to be fair, you did great today.” She beamed as they made their way out of the training room.

 

“Aww. Thanks, mum!” Elly muttered with a giggly face.

 

With an awkward smile, Lena pulled the scrunchie from his sweat-dampened man bun and messed up his long brown hair in response. Then she pressed a few buttons from the control pad by the door and muttered a command to the tower’s A.I. assistant.

 

“Ross, we’re done here. Start to clean-up.”

 

 _“Yes, milady.”_  

 

A soothing automated voice suddenly answered from out of nowhere as they stepped towards the exit.

 

_“I wish you good fortune in the wars to come.”_

 

Lena came into a sudden halt, rolled her eyes and squints suspiciously at Elly. She almost forgot that she let him use his super speed to roam and explore around the building, without getting caught by the security cameras as part of his training. Only God knows what else he did for the whole three hours.

 

“Ross? When was your last system configuration?”

 

_“Seven hours and forty-eight minutes ago, milady.”_

 

“Authorized by whom?” Lena asked as she watched Elly fidget innocently and bite his lips.

 

_“No one.”_

 

“Huh. And the one before that?” She asked, still staring at Elly.

 

 _“Twenty four days ago under your command, milady. Shall I regress?”_ The automated voice politely asked.

 

Lena sighed and scratched her eyebrow. “No. Proceed with the clean-up.”

 

_“Aye!”_

 

“And Ross?”

 

_“Yes, Lady Scotch?”_

 

Lena paused, her eyes still glued on Elly who refused to meet her gaze. She can’t decide if she’s going to be mad at him for fiddling with the building’s security system or be proud and impressed with how fast he’s progressing. Though the thought of him upgrading Ross in his own way is highly feasible and exhilarates her at some point, she still have to see the outcome for herself. It felt like a minute of uncomfortable silence before Lena decided what to do next.

 

“Am I not your queen?” She suddenly asked, making Elly somewhat confused in a way. Lena didn’t have to repeat herself or even wait for more than three seconds before the A.I. responded.

 

_“My deepest apologies, Your Grace.”_

 

Lena nodded contently, her lips breaking into a weak smile. Little did Elly know, those phrases were coded with an initial command for a safety protocol.

 

“Valar Morghulis.” She announced flatly while Elly raised his brows in awe. There was a series of mellow beeps confirming the registry of her command and she had to hold in a smirk before walking out of the room with a clueless Elly trailing behind her.

 

 _“Valar Dohaeris.”_ The A.I. replied to verify that her command override had been initiated.

 

“Not bad, Ross.” Elly whispered to the control pad.

 

_“Thank you…Lord Stark.”_

 

Elly almost froze. His ears suddenly went pink and a crease formed between his eyebrows. He wasn’t expecting that. But there goes Lena’s impish laughter bouncing along the hallway.

 

“You break it, you fix it!”

 

He can definitely hear her smirk underneath that yell.

 

===

 

Lena had been staring at the sealed envelope on her desk for quite a while now, unsure of what to do with it. There was no address or stamps, whatsoever, only her name handwritten on it and was personally delivered to her office. And knowing that handwriting too well, she wondered what could it possibly say and why does she feel like not wanting to read it at all. It was a letter from Alex.

 

 _It’s been weeks._ She reminded herself as she took the last sip of scotch from her glass before turning her swivel chair to face the windows of her office. The sun has already set behind the Metropolis skyline. And as the last of the indigo sky peeked through the horizon before fading completely into a darker shade of the night, her mind wandered.

  


“Hey, doctor? What are you thinking about?”

 

Lena asked, after losing herself for a minute of admiring the curled lashes and flushed high cheekbones of her girlfriend. Drawing an imaginary path from her hairline, to her ear and lobe, then to her jaw, and down to her chin with her eyes. Lena’s curiosity was more piqued with how Alex’s lips curled into a weak smile, lost in her own zone while they lay comfortably under the warm sheets in a hotel in Paris.

 

Alex snorted at the sudden interruption from her daydream as she darted her eyes away from the gray cove ceiling. She turned and smiled at Lena who was cuddled warmly in her arm, using her shoulder as a pillow. Her flushed cheeks was accompanied by a soft smile while her light-green eyes appeared of a deeper hue under the dim lights. Alex took a tuft of long dark hair from the bunch that flowed neatly over her girlfriend’s shoulder and twirled it around her finger.

 

“I was thinking about Ned. And how he was so right about you.” Alex softly replied as she planted a gentle kiss just above Lena’s eyebrow. “He said you’d be perfect.”

 

“He really said that?” Lena blushed, though this wasn’t the first time that Alex spoke about it. If she wasn’t mistaken, she mentions this almost in every of their pillow talks.

 

“I came home one night and he just won’t stop yapping about you.” Alex chuckled at the memory, shaking her head in disbelief. “I thought he was just having a simple puppy crush on you, but…he also sounded like he had it all figured out already.”

 

“He’s such a clever boy.” Lena giggled as she drew small circles just below Alex’s collarbone. “And a match-maker. How did that happen?”

 

“You tell me.” Alex replied.

 

“And why me?”

 

“He came from you, didn’t he?” Alex casually answered, meeting Lena’s eyes with a soft gaze.

 

The smile on Lena’s lips vanished, unable to look away from that gaze as her mind drifted back to that night after they finished half of the vintage bottle of Macallan. A sudden chill crawled along her spine, forcing her to swallow down the lump in her throat. _Was that supposed to be a joke?_ She can’t tell by the look in Alex’s face. Was she supposed to say something?

 

“What is it? Did my Luthor just had another eureka moment?” Alex softly asked when she noticed how Lena fell silent all of a sudden.

 

“Nothing, just…” Lena lowered her gaze and took a deep breath as she shifted with discomfort. She was about to wriggle out of bed but Alex stopped her.

 

“Hey, come here.” Alex mumbled, pulling Lena gently back to her arms. “You’re a wonderful mother, I already told you that.” The DEO director softly whispered as she buried her face in dark ebony hair.

 

Lena didn’t know how to react. As much as she wants to let herself melt from those words, the cold sweat forming at the back of her neck won’t let her. But Alex’s gentle hands made their way around her waist, pulling her closer and keeping her warm. Lena rolled to her side facing away from Alex, letting herself become the small spoon.

 

“I’ve always known, Lee. I gather and extract information for a living.” Alex mumbled like it was nothing as she showered Lena’s shoulder with gentle kisses, not knowing that every single one of them was sending shivers all over her body.

 

“Hmm?” It was the only sound that Lena was able to make as her heart started beating a little faster. And to think that they are both sober for the last eight hours, she needed to swallow hard more than a couple of times. Was she in trouble?

 

“You’re not in trouble, Luthor. Just in case you’re wondering.” Alex softly whispered and snuggled closer, wrapping her girlfriend with more warmth. “Remember the last time we spoke in your office before you moved back to Metropolis?”

 

It took Lena a short while to answer. “When he was almost three?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You wanted me to stop seeing him.” Lena mumbled. How could she forget?

 

“But that didn’t stop you, did it? Yup, he was three.” Alex whispered before kissing Lena behind her ear. “And you were already asking about tickets for his school plays.” She snorted.

 

Lena rolled her eyes, realizing only ten years later how stupid that must’ve sounded. She softly elbowed the woman on her side who was clearly making fun of her. She turned to face Alex with serious, curious and worried eyes, but the director just smiled softly back at her.

 

“I changed his diapers, gave him baths, combed his hair and watched him sleep in my own bed for years, Lena.” Alex muttered and Lena just gazed at her, listening intently, eyes filled with silent enthusiasm telling she wanted to hear more.

 

“I’ve seen how he keeps everything tidy and in order…the kind of things and clothes he likes, his own style, his own toys, how focused he gets when he’s working on something…he’s always curious, and gentle, and kind…”

 

“He’s always been gentle, even without those bands.” Lena mumbled, feeling her eyes burn and tears starting to form.

 

“…he’s just like you in so many ways. And now he’s almost thirteen. See, everything worked out just fine.” Alex whispered, a warm smile spreading across her face.

 

Lena swallowed and wondered loudly. “You think so?”

 

“You’ve worked your own way back into his life and I’ve never seen him happier.” Alex answered.

 

Lena wasn’t expecting to be in this kind of situation. The warmth seemed to be too overwhelming that it started leaking out of her eyes. “But…what if…what if he finds out about the truth?”

 

Alex softly sighed. “He will understand. I told you, he’s a good kid.” She assured her, wiping a stray tear that made its way on the bridge of Lena’s nose. “You mean the world to him.”

 

“And he means everything to me.” Lena’s voice trembled as she sniffed quietly.

 

“I know.” Alex whispered while she tucks long strands of hair behind Lena’s ear. She found Lena’s hand and pulled it up to her lips to kiss each of its knuckles. “And you’ve already soften the blow.”

 

“Thank you, Alex.” Lena whispered in between sobs. “For everything.”

 

“We’d do anything for him, won’t we?” Alex nodded gently.

 

“Anything.”

 

“And thank you for trusting me.”

 

“As if I had any other choice?” Lena snorted, pushing snot out of her stuffy nose, making Alex laugh a little louder.

 

“I didn’t know you’re such a cry baby.” Alex chuckled, trying to get rid of some more weight on Lena’s shoulders.

  


Lena smiled at that sweet memory. She never knew that pillow talks could be that sensible and could add more humanity to her in denial, self-righteous, Luthor ego. Her relationship with Alex felt more right than it was wrong. Though it was a well-kept secret just between their chosen families, Alex became her salvation. It was Alex who had always been there to keep her sane after all these years, and losing her was unexpectedly more painful than it should be.

 

Lena thought she should be an expert at losing people that she cared about the most by now, but as it turns out, she still isn’t. And yet, no one had seen her shed a single tear since Alex passed. Not James, not Eliza, not Brainy or Elly or Kara. Not even Jess, her secretary or Ross, the L-Corp Northeast Tower’s A.I. assistant or any of its optical sensors. Nobody. No one knows of her grief except for her bathtub, her shower, and the lead-lined walls around it. Lena can’t afford to let it be seen or heard by a single soul, not especially when Elly is around.

  


“Hey, doctor? What are you thinking about?” Lena asked, closing her eyes as she listened to Alex’s heartbeat.

 

“Ned.” She answered flatly. “And what if something suddenly happens to me?”

 

“Hey, don’t talk like that.” Lena pulled herself away to look Alex in the eye, only to see a weird weak smile across her face.

 

“I’m just being realistic.” Alex muttered with her back resting on the armrest of a chaise lounge in a Vegas hotel suite. “National City is becoming more scary and dangerous.”

 

“This world, you mean?”

 

“Or maybe this entire galaxy?” Alex smirked like it was some kind of joke.

 

Lena swallowed, looking uncomfortably displeased but sank back into Alex’s arms. “What about it?” She asked, the worry still plastered on her face.

 

“It scares me too.” Alex replied. “Every time I go to work, or get inside that building, particularly when I get sent out on the field...” She explained while she ran her fingers through Lena’s shiny dark hair. “…danger doesn’t really scare me, I eat danger for breakfast. Aliens doesn’t scare me at all, they’re scared of me!” She smiled at her with nose scrunched, wiping the worry off of Lena’s face.

 

“Right. And who would even believe that? Director Danvers? Scared of aliens?” Lena teased, her lips curling into a smirk as she pressed an ear against Alex’s bare chest.

 

“What scares me is that, every single time I leave home whenever I get called out there, you know what Ned would tell me?”

 

Lena looked up at her, listening, both their faces more serious this time. “Tell me.”

 

“Come home to me.” Alex said as she lets herself be drowned by light-green eyes. “Failing him scares me.”

 

“Who wouldn’t be scared of Lord Stark?” Lena caresses Alex’s cheeks, comforts her lips with a quick soft kiss and contemplated in her brown eyes when they parted. “You mean the world to him.”

 

“And he means the world to me.”

 

“That makes two of us.”

 

It was Alex who leaned in closer this time as they indulge again on each other’s lips, the bareness of their skin keeping each other warm under the satin sheets. Every soft push was answered with a gentle pull, while feather-light hands slipped around each other. They slow danced with the chaise lounge as their stage, giving just the right amount of needed friction to relax and breathe in their late night afterglow. Alex leaned slowly against the armrest while Lena leisurely straddles her thighs, and pulling their lips away only to drown each other with their grateful stares.

 

With both hands, the CEO ran her gentle fingers through dark red pixie hair, sending a soothing knead along Alex’s scalp and uncover batting eyelashes from a pair of fiery brown eyes. And with equal amount of pressure, the director’s fingers clawed lightly up and down Lena’s back, drawing soft and warm straight lines on her pale skin. They sank in each other’s arms, whispering synchronized slow breaths in each other’s ears, satisfied with the warmth and serenity it brings.

 

“Remind me again what we’re doing here.” Alex breathes in Lena’s ear.

 

“Keeping each other company...” Lena replied in the softest whisper while she lined her girlfriend’s neck with soft little kisses. “…in exchange of keeping each other’s deepest, darkest secrets. Sounds pretty messed up, right?” She added in her smooth sass.

 

“Kinda sounded like blackmail but nonetheless, feels right to me.” Alex countered, letting her smile be heard.

 

“I wonder why that is?” Lena whispered banteringly.

 

“Mainly because I get to do all the keeping?” Alex teased with a playful smile while she twirls a wisp of Lena’s long dark hair around her finger.

 

“You don’t specifically mean, _me_ and _my son_ whom, by the way, uses _your_ name instead of mine?” Lena bantered back, her signature smirk breaking out of her lips.

 

“Oh, wait…now, that does sound a little pretty messed up.” Alex chuckled softly, completely smitten by her girlfriend’s not-so-dark sense of humor.

 

“And to think that _I_ was the Luthor?” Lena plainly added, pulling away and running her fingers along Alex’s nape, going up and deep under pixie hair while brown eyes stared back at her. “Hmm…”

 

“Could it be that the world has messed up drastically?” Alex asked inquisitively.

 

“Maybe?”

 

“Or maybe, it was actually _your_ fault why I’m stuck in the middle of this beautiful mess that I’m in?” Alex softly pressed, her eyes admiring her girlfriend’s bareness while absentmindedly tracing Lena’s curves with her thumbs.

 

“Hmm…feels right to me.” Lena blushed at the compliment.

 

“Hah! There she is.” Alex beamed.

 

“Are you not scared at all, Danvers?” She bites her lower lip while she lightly pokes Alex’s nose with the tip of her finger.

 

“Scared of what? Of you?”

 

“Mm-hmm?”

 

“Just in case you forgot, Luthor, I have your son. I’m sorry, but…you, do not scare me at all.”

 

“Right. Danger doesn’t scare you…not even horrible-looking aliens.” There was a sudden spark in Lena’s eyes as she squinted, her signature smirk not leaving her lips.

 

“You’re not wrong there.”

 

Lena leaned in closer until their foreheads are touching and their warm breaths colliding, making sure that Alex won’t miss a single word. “And how could you even be scared of aliens when…” She whispered softly and slowly, her gaze deep in fiery brown eyes while tracing a gentle finger along Alex’s collarbone. “…you basically grew up with the strongest one on the planet?”

 

Alex thought she heard it wrong. Her eyes suddenly searched the pair of light-green eyes staring back at her. “What?” Or maybe she just didn’t quite understood what Lena was talking about. She tried to swallow the thin cold lines that was being doodled upon her skin.

 

“And you said you have her son?”

 

Alex cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Excuse me?” She pretended to sound confused and her heart started to race.

 

Then Lena whispered boldly with their eyes not tearing away from each other. “This is quite confusing, I know. I mean…of course, I know that…my son is actually _your_ nephew.”

  


Lena was brought back to the present when Jess suddenly knocked on her door to let her know she was about to go home. The secretary said something that didn’t even registered, but she nodded as a reply anyway. Blinking at the closed doors and the deafening silence of her office, she decided to get another drink when the envelope on her desk with Alex’s farewell note caught her attention again. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and found her trembling hand finally reaching for it. Slowly, she slits the envelope open and pulled out the letter to read.

 

* * *

 

My Dearest Lena,

 

By the time you’re reading this letter, I’m probably gone for good. I’m so sorry. Forgive me that it had to be this way but I’ll make this short and quick. There are in fact a few things that I’d want you to do for me.

 

First, I want you to stay strong and remember the little conversations we had for the past three years about Ned. You won’t hear it from him but he will need you. He’s such a softie, but I know he will get past this. He is perceptive, brave and strong just like you.

 

Along with the release of this note is my last will and the documents giving you the rights over him. But also, I want you to take slow steps because Kara won’t take it lightly. She might even be overprotective of him but don’t worry, I had it all fixed. She might be the strongest person we know but honestly, I don’t think she can do it on her own. And so, I want you to step in because I know you will and can take good care of them the same way I did.

 

Second, I want you to be there for Kara. Not to take my place, but to be who you were even before all of these even started. She will need you, more than ever. Be patient with her, exceedingly patient, because she will push you away, for sure. She shuts down when things get too tough and she becomes the most stubborn person when she does that. But I know for a fact that there’s no one left who can get through her but you. You might not believe it, but trust me on this one. Please promise me you’ll try.

 

And last but not the least, I want you to forgive yourself. Stop blaming yourself for things that are out of your control. Nobody and nothing is made perfect. Everyone makes mistakes and that’s still a good thing. Learn from it. Be better, do better. You’re really good at that. The rest of the world might not see you the way that I do, but I’m telling you, you have the most unexpectedly phenomenal heart I have ever came across with. And guess what? Ned knows that too.

 

Also, I want to thank you for making my biggest dream come true of becoming a mother. I can’t thank you enough for sharing that wonderful gift with me and making me the happiest. And truly, there was nothing more that I could ask for. I have no regrets. If I’ll have another chance to do it all over again, I’d do it exactly just the same - with you.

 

As I end this note, I hope you find it in your heart to allow yourself to be happy – really happy. I know how reluctant you are when it comes to this, so please, just for once, at least do it for me. After all the selfless things that you’ve done, you deserve all the happiness that this life has to offer and I’d want to see you live it. Keep believing that things will eventually fall into place. Remember that you are loved, Lena. Genuinely, by our friends; our chosen family. And I know that somewhere out there, someone will find their world in your eyes – the same way I have.

 

    You are an exceptional woman, an amazing mother, and your brilliance never cease to blow me away. I am so proud of you.

 

Your Ride or Die,

Alex

 

P.S.

Please teach him how to ride my bike and all the other bad-ass things that _we_ do. It’s about time. You know what to do (make him bleed if you have to – jk).

 

 

 

> “My heroes are the ones who survived doing it wrong, who made mistakes, but recovered from them.” – Bono

 

* * *

 

The quote was what made Lena smile for a little while. _That is so Alex, being the cool mom until the very end._ She thought to herself and had to shake her head.

 

“I miss you.” She whispered.

 

That’s when she noticed that she was crying. She never even imagined that she had it in herself to feel unbelievably safe and secured with someone, or even deserve it. And wiping her cheeks with the ball of her hand, she folded the letter with care. She was about to return it back in its envelope when she noticed that something else was folded inside. She pulled it out curiously, unfolded the piece of paper and had to stare at it for a moment, reading each printed line twice before even realizing that it was a copy of their marriage certificate from Nevada.

  
  



	15. Teen Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elly got involved in a mugging incident while he was sneaking out of school, and eventually gets into an argument with Kara.

  


“So, some of your teachers told me that you’ve been missing your classes.”

 

Kara muttered as she leaned against the kitchen counter in Alex’s apartment after handing Elly an ice pack.

 

 _Some._ Elly thought to himself as he reached for the ice pack and pressed it gently over his cheek while sitting on a bar stool. He let the jars of cookies and pasta on the counter to distract him while his aunt slowly started to roast him.

 

“And that…you’ve been sneaking out of school for the past few weeks.” Kara continued, her face remaining blank as she crossed her arms and faced him.

 

 _Months. Sitting behind a desk all day gets pretty boring._ Elly remained silent, his eyes far and wandering among the view outside the window.

 

“Sitting behind the desk bores you? Wait until you get a job.” Kara let out a huge sigh, trying her best not to get mad at him. “But you know you’re gonna get detention for skipping classes, which is pretty much just the same, right?”

 

“Tell me about it.” He mumbled with a slight flinch as he dabbed the ice pack over his swollen cheek, while a ball of cotton remained halfway inside of his nostril.

 

“Good thing they decided not to suspend you.” Kara said calmly while scratching her chin and trying to meet his gaze. “What’s going on with you, huh? Are you getting bullied at school?” She asked with concern and eyeing on the dark reddish bruise on his cheek.

 

“No.”

 

“Let me see it.” Kara took the ice pack and gently lifted Elly’s chin to get a better look at his face. She clicked her tongue after seeing how big and swollen his bruise has gotten. Tomorrow, his cheekbone will probably be as purplish green as an eggplant. “Do you not like it there?”

 

“T’was okay.” He winced with a soft grunt, trying his best not to show his aunt how painful it really was, as she pressed the ice pack a little harder on his cheek and also over his nose bridge.

 

Kara sighed. “Then what is it? Do you want to go back to Metropolis and be with Lena?” She asked softly, sounding a little troubled.

 

He swallowed but didn’t answer. _Maybe._

 

“Elly, you gotta tell me what’s going on or people might get the impression that I’m not taking good care of you.” Kara was still calm, but the hint of impatience and disappointment in her voice was undeniable.

 

“Since when did you start caring about what other people think?” Elly suddenly asked and Kara had to stop what she was doing to look him in the eye.

 

She paused for a bit, still holding his chin and the ice pack, while giving herself enough time to think of the right words to use in response to that. Taking in a deep breath, she muttered, “You need to understand that you are my responsibi…”

 

“I’m not a kid anymore and I can take care of myself just fine.” Elly cuts in with a solid tone as he swallowed, his eyes darting on the ceiling.

 

Kara’s hands slowly fell to her sides. It’s brewing up again and she knew she had to do something about it. She shuts her eyes tight, took a deep breath, let it out to calm herself down and made up her mind fast. “I know you can. And I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to ground you for three weeks.” She muttered after opening her eyes again and resumed applying the cold compress on Elly’s face.

 

“Wha-?! You can’t do that, you’re not my mom!” Elly dodged the ice pack as his voice grew in sudden protest, eyes stricken with anger.

 

Kara sets the ice pack down the counter with a thud as her ears started turning pink. “Do you have any idea how horrified James and I was when we saw your face on TV?!” She snapped back and glared at him, while her heart started to race.

 

Elly pointed a hand out towards the window and into the city. “A lady was being mugged and I tried to help her! I can’t just stand there and...”

 

“You were supposed to be in school, Elly!” Kara argued as her voice grew louder, with her hand pointing out in the same direction. “And the cops are there on the streets for a reason!”

 

A crinkle appeared between his eyebrows. “Well, there was no one else on that scene but me! What was I supposed to do, just watch as I call the cops and let that guy get away? And what’re you even so worked up about school? As if I’m that irresponsible to flunk on any of my classes?!” He pulled out the bloody cotton ball out of his nose and swiftly reached for the ice pack.

 

Kara rolled her eyes and scratched her eyebrow. “Well, it’s still not okay to skip any of them and sneak out of school!”

 

“Was it wrong to help someone in need? I was just trying to help!” He exclaimed in his defense.

 

“By putting yourself in danger and your face all over the news!?” Kara countered before pressing a hand on her forehead and started to pace.

 

“The mugger got caught because I stood up for something! Isn’t that supposed to be a good thing?!” He held up the pack of ice before pressing it back down to his nose bridge.

 

“That it ended with your face all banged up?!?”

 

“Which will heal in a few days!”

 

“What if it doesn’t? Look at you! What if it takes weeks? What if that punch landed right on your eye?!” Kara rambled, a bit outraged with her arms waving at her sides as she kept pacing up and down the kitchen.

 

“It didn’t!” Elly groaned and rolled his eyes, his face in a scowl. “What if you stop worrying too much for just a second?! I’m not a kid anymore!”

 

“What if he had a knife and you got stabbed? What if he had a gun and you…” Kara came into a sudden stop and swallowed as her words trailed off. “Do you even have any idea what kind of danger you’re putting yourself into?” She turned to look at him.

 

“Well, at least I did something…” He mumbled, with his tone dying down. A sigh followed as a mask for his wince from applying an ice pack on his bruise.

 

“What if that mugger had friends and decided to go looking all over for you, or your friends instead?” Kara muttered softly and paused to wait for his answer. “What if _they_ find you?”

 

 _Then I’m gonna be ready._ Elly swallowed hard without meeting her gaze. “Fine. What I did was wrong and I’m sorry.” He muttered, shaking his head while blinking slowly and suddenly feeling tired to argue any further.

 

Kara’s shoulders fell as she rests her hands on her waist to take a deep breath and puff it out softly. She allowed a few seconds of silence in her head before speaking again, in a more calm manner this time.

 

“I didn’t say that helping people was wrong. What is wrong was, you, sneaking out of school and putting yourself in danger. That’s what I was trying to say, and I also know that you do understand why I’m being like this.” She explained with a gentle gaze, worried and a little disappointed with him, and somehow, herself too. “I made a promise to keep you safe.”

 

“Yeah, I’m gonna…” He bit his lower lip, the crinkle of frustration on his forehead unwavering and let out a huge sigh. “…can I go and sleep at Uncle J’s tonight, at least?”

 

* * *

 

“We barely even talk, what more, have a decent conversation?! And whenever we do, for some reason, we always end up fighting!”

 

“Smells like…teen spirit.” J’onn mumbled and leaned against the large desk in his office, holding in a smirk as he watched Kara ramble and wave her hands before him.

 

“Ugh! I feel like I’m back to being thirteen again, sharing a bedroom with a male version of my sister!” Kara groaned as she slumped with her back down on J’onn’s couch that evening, after dropping Elly off at James’ place. “It’s like he’s always on his period!”

 

“Having outbursts is pretty normal, especially at his age, Kara. And fighting or yelling is actually a way better outlet to express yourselves, than for both of you to just keep it all in and say nothing at all. Or maybe, you really are just worrying too much about him?” J’onn asked.

 

“Who wouldn’t be?! I dropped him off at school and three hours later, he’s on the ten o’clock news!?” Kara raised her hands up like she was scolding the small chandelier hanging from the ceiling. “My little dumpling wasn’t like that!”

 

“He’s not going to be a harmless little boy forever.”

 

“But he’s only thirteen!” Kara groaned.

 

“I do recall a skinny little girl of the same age not so long ago…blue eyes, blonde hair? She pulled a lady and her baby out of a burning car, all by herself.”

 

“That’s different! I have powers when I was thirteen! He doesn’t!”

 

“But he did helped someone today, Kara. Despite having no powers at all? You must admit…”

 

“Yeah, I know…” Kara took a deep breath before clapping a hand to her forehead. “I should’ve known he could make me feel so proud and horrified at the same time. Damn, he really _is_  a male version of my sister!” She exhaled and watched the chandelier as it swayed a little, blinking slowly to somehow ease the strain she feels in her eyes.  “And I feel so bad for grounding him for three weeks because of it.”

 

“Well, you’ve already said what you said, Kara. If you really want him to learn his lesson, show him how and keep your word. It’s for his own good.”

 

Kara clicked her tongue and pulled herself up from the couch, scratching her eyebrow. “I almost told him to try not to get caught next time!”

 

“I’m glad you didn’t!” J’onn chuckled lightly. “See, I’m pretty sure he learned something from this. He’s a great kid, just give him time.”

 

“Yeah, he is.” Kara sighed. “Thanks, Pops.”

 

“You’re always welcome. And I’m glad that you’re opening up to me, Kara. I appreciate that.”

 

The blonde just smiled warmly, feeling just as relieved that she had been able to talk freely about her feelings with either James or J’onn. Perhaps the few weeks of Elly being in Metropolis for a while did helped with her coping, and that she had enough time to keep her mind off of a lot of things. And she admits she had Lena to thank, even if they still haven’t talked that much since.

 

“Can you even imagine me having kids of my own? Because I can’t.” Kara wondered loudly all of a sudden.

 

“They’d break everything first before they could even say _mama_.” J’onn smirked while Kara groaned and roll her eyes.

 

 

 _And it’s gonna be another not-so peaceful night after a fight with Elly._ Kara’s mind wandered off again while on her way back to Alex’s apartment – her new home, after Mrs. McGregor refused to let her stay in her old loft, even after she offered to fix and pay for everything in her wrecked unit. A lot has changed about Elly since he got back, especially that serious look on his face that Kara now sees more often. It’s sad that the little rainbows in his eyes when he smiles, also had to disappear. His voice got a little lower, deeper, manly, and he doesn’t need to hold hands anymore when he sleeps. Except for that one time after getting his long hair dyed to a deep red like Alex’s, the day after he got back from Metropolis:

 

 

_“NO!!!”_

 

Kara almost jumped out of the bed and fly through the ceiling after hearing Elly scream like a maniac in his sleep. He was gripping the blanket, sweating, breathing heavily, and the furrow in his eyebrows tells her that he was angry.

 

“Elly? Hey, it’s just a dream!” Kara muttered as she drew quick gentle circles on Elly’s chest with her palm as he heaved. His eyes opened and stared at the dark ceiling, but didn’t even seem to respond to meet hers.

 

“You’re okay, you’re safe here.” She whispered, and a slight nod was all she got.

 

Without hesitating, Kara snuggled in closer with her hand still on Elly’s chest, feeling his heart banging wildly against her palm. The smell of his sweat and shampoo filled her nose, reminding her that even though he’s all grown up, somewhere deep down inside of him, he’s still her Little Dumpling.

 

“Deep breaths, Elly. Just breathe.” Kara whispered and Elly obeyed as he closed his eyes again in an attempt to go back to sleep. “I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere.”

 

Elly swallowed hard to get rid of the unwanted debris from his dream. The softness of her voice alone already felt like a warm embrace, if only she knew how much he misses it. A drop of tear escaped when he closed his eye, and the tingling sensation from his throat travelled up to his temples then down his nose, creating a silent sniffle as he breathed. He felt her gentle lips on his scalp to kiss his bad dreams away and somehow, it made him feel better.

 

It didn’t took that long before both their heartbeats and breaths started to quiet down. And as Kara’s eyelids started to droop, she felt his hand make its way to find hers, giving it a soft squeeze against his chest. It felt warm and she can’t help but smile with her eyes already half-closed. The next thing she knew, she was pulling it up to her lips to give his lucky band a soft kiss before giving another at the back of his hand, along with a silent prayer to Rao. _No nightmares, please._

 

Thankfully, her prayers worked. And Elly decided to have his hair dyed back to brown, doing it all by himself in the bathroom sink, deliberately. The crumpled paper towels, empty tubes and squeeze bottle, and brown-stained rubber gloves inside a properly disposed and packaged evidence, which sat innocently inside the trash bin, said so.

 

 

The world outside was fairly quiet when Kara came back in a more quiet apartment, ready to end the day. And sitting by the edge of her side of the bed felt a little foreign. It used to be Alex’s, and now it’s hers. It somehow felt wrong, inappropriate. And the thought of almost everything that used to be Alex's shoes are now being filled by her, felt more scary. _What if I won’t be enough to fill it in?_ She thought to herself.

 

And then she remembered Lena. She snatched her phone from the bedside table to make a call, but hesitated to tap the call button at the very last second. Tossing it facedown the bed, she hugged her knees before sprawling and for a little while, she let her mind wander off again through the dark ceiling.

 

It’s such a weird feeling for her that as adults, she and Lena both agreed to put everything behind them, yet, she can’t still say that they are already in speaking terms just like before. Especially now, that Alex’s papers and farewell note already came in. She hasn’t told anyone about it yet. No one else knows, except maybe for Lena, who probably received the very same copy of custody papers that were signed, sealed and delivered on her desk at CatCo.

 

Still staring at the ceiling, she blindly lets her hand search for her phone where it landed on the bed. And this time, she made another call without even hesitating.

 

“James? How is he? Oh, good. Thanks, I just…” Kara swallowed and rolled to her side. “I just had a thought. Will you talk to Lena again, for me? Please?” She paused for a bit to let her thoughts soak in a little longer before saying it out loud. “What if…what if he’s been trying to look for his real parents?”

 

* * *

 

“I brought croissants!”

 

“Mom?!” Leila’s eyes went wide, the moment she opened the front door of their apartment to three large boxes of pastries, stacked on a pair of hands and topped with a wide smile of her mother. “Wha-I didn’t know you were coming home!?” She nervously glanced up and down the hallway before reaching out to help her mother with the boxes and her suitcase. “Are you having a tea party or something? Here, let me take that.”

 

“Oh, thank you, dear. No, I just thought you might want to have your friends over, so…you know. I would very much like to meet them!” Her mom replied and lets out a loud sigh of exhaustion as she stepped inside. “Ahh! Home, at last!”

 

“Oookay…?” That may have sounded quite unusual, but Leila brushed it off anyway as she let her mother in. “Is dad with you? Why didn’t you call?”

 

“He went straight to Gateway City, then he’ll fly to Phoenix right after that. Oh, you know him.” She answered cheerfully while she takes off her coat and hangs it on the rack by the door. “He took a friend along with him, so…here I am. And I can’t wait to finally have a nice long bath in peace!” She blinked and smiled at her daughter.

 

“I…I can go prepare a warm bath for you, but…you might wanna drop by dad’s study first?”

 

The smile on the woman’s lips suddenly vanished as she gasped and froze, her eyes stricken with more horror than surprise and staring back at Leila. “She’s here?!”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

The woman remained still, but her eyes darted around the living room like she was looking for something. She swallowed and looked down on her light green midi-dress, before running towards the nearest mirror by the fireplace to check on her hair. Taking a deep breath, she turned to her daughter with only her eyes asking: _How do I look?_

 

“You’re okay, mom.” Leila smiled as she handed her one of the boxes of pastry that she brought along. “I’ll go with you.”

 

And so, they did. Knocking twice and taking in a deep breath as they waited for a soft _“Come in!”_ before entering the room, Leila walked in with her nervous mother.

 

“Contessa! I knew it was you, what a perfect timing!” The old lady sets down her teacup on the table by the window, and reached a hand out without even getting on her feet.

 

“Madam! How was Belle…vue?” She took the old lady’s hand and gave it a soft squeeze, while leaning in closer for a cheek-to-cheek.

 

“It was quite…serene.” Granny kissed cheeks with her as a greeting. “As always. I was just about to have my afternoon tea. Join me?”

 

“Of course!” Leila's mom softly replied.

 

“I’ll let you two talk.” Leila turned to leave but her Granny called her back.

 

“Cuppa?”

 

“Gra…umm…madam?” Leila stuttered nervously.

 

“Hmm…will you hold this for me while I talk to your mother, please? For safe keeping.” The old lady held her walking stick out as she winked at Leila. “You know what I mean.”

 

“Sure.” The girl smiled and took her grandmother’s embellished cane before turning to leave. “I’ll be in my room, then.” She mumbled before closing the door to give her elders some privacy.

 

“Have a seat.” Granny gestured to an empty chair across the table by the window, where a set of fine china tea wares and a selection of macarons, madeleines, and cream puffs were laid out and waiting for two. “You’re just in time.”

 

“That wasn’t really necessary.” Contessa muttered casually as she opened the box of croissants and sets it down with the other treats.

 

“So tell me, Contessa...” Granny paused as she poured steaming, golden-clear liquid onto a second set of teacup and saucer that had been waiting on the coffee table.

 

“Tess is fine.” The younger woman replied as she reached for her tea.

 

“Whatever.” The old lady shrugged and reached for her own teacup. “So, what is my ungrateful son really been up to, this time?”

  



	16. Grounded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elly gets grounded for the first time, and Kara had the Superfriends take their turns to give him some after-school counseling. Despite being away, Lena takes the effort to get in the picture and retain her reputation as the coolest aunt with her tough love.

 

 

The last school bell rang more than ten minutes ago, and Elly sits quietly by the steps of National City Technical High School's main entrance, waiting for his ride home under a clear, sunny afternoon sky. With such ease, he tied his long brown hair up in a top knot with a black scrunchie to let his nape breathe before readjusting his glasses firmly up his nose.

Razz already went on ahead, even before more students started pouring out of the exits. Some were waiting like Elly, some already getting picked-up by vehicles on the designated lane, while some started to walk away in small groups. Usually, he and Razz would be among the latter crowd, and would take them about twenty minutes of walking while chatting to get to their own homes.

But today wasn't a usual day. It's been three days since Kara decided to get him grounded, and have the whole chosen family take turns to pick him up after school.

 

Elly got a little lost in thought, after making his mind up that he would buy himself a two-scoop Belgian cone if Nia would pick him up today. For sure, she would take him at Tony's like the usual. Or maybe not, because he's grounded and today wasn't a usual day. He let out a deep sigh as he stared through his glasses at his grimy mid-cut sneakers, trying to recall the last time he had them washed when his cellphone suddenly rang. With his eyebrows burrowed and a puzzled look on his face after seeing who it was, he swiped to answer.

 

"Aunt Lena? You called! Hi! What's up?" He greeted with his voice livelier than what he really looked like. He heard a weird ramming-like noise in the background that he decided not to pay much attention to.

 

_"Elly, darling! Hi! James just told me what happened to you and...your aunt. How are you?"_

 

It's been weeks since the last time Elly heard from his godmother, and months since the last time he saw her. It's not old news how he misses her all the time, and so, just hearing Lena's voice at the right time lifted his mood a tad higher, almost making him a bit teary-eyed.

 

"Oh, yeah! Lady Potsticker grounded me for the first time in my life. No after-school shenanigans, or hanging out in the park with Razz, and she had to check all my notes and my homework every night." Elly answered with a weak smile but rubbed the corner of his eyes with his thumb, to check if tears had formed there without him knowing.

 

 _"Aww, I'm sorry to hear that, dear. But you do understand why she's doing this, right?"_ Lena's voice on the other end was soft.

 

"Yeah. And it's not that bad, really. Her rules, I mean. I know it's my fault and I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry you had to hear about it and I'm sorry for making you worry." Feeling a little embarrassed, Elly had to let out another sigh before answering and Lena seemed to return it from the other end before continuing.

 

 _"That's okay, it's part of growing up, darling. And hey, it's not entirely your fault. The important thing is, you learn from it."_ Lena reassures him, the softness of her voice unfading. _"Oh, how was the new place, by the way? You're moving in this week, right?"_ She suddenly asks.

 

"Yah...it was nice! I'll have my own bed and my own room now. There was so much space that'll need a lot of getting used to." Elly laughs shyly. It felt kinda weird but in a nice way, not sharing a bed with anyone anymore for the past few months. "But Aunt Kara said she'd still let me sleep on her bed sometimes, if I..." His voice suddenly trailed. He fell silent for a moment and swallowed hard when he realized, he doesn't want to continue.

 

 _"We don't have to talk about it over the phone if you don't want to."_ Lena adds after hearing a hint of sadness in his voice, realizing where the conversation was going.

 

"No, it's okay. I can tell you anything, can't I?"

 

 _"Of course, darling! Anytime, or anywhere."_ Lena let out a deep sigh as quiet as she can. _"Are you still having them?"_

 

"No, not anymore since...I started sneaking out of school." He casually confessed. 

 

_"Aha! Now, that explains it!"_

 

"Sorry. But the first week since I got back, yeah. Same thing almost every night." Elly admittedly said.

 

_"Ned, you don't have to apologize for the things that are out of your control."_

 

"Actually...I can control it now. The same way you do."

 

 _"Really?"_ Lena's voice lit up a little, but she remembered how unconventional her method was. _"Wait, you're not saying you're..."_

 

"Just a sip from her Merlot." He confessed. "No one needs to know, right?"

 

 _"You're gonna get yourself in more trouble, young man."_ Lena mumbled, shaking her head in disbelief. 

 

"I know! But I have a problem and I found solutions." He said in his defense. But there was nothing but silence in the other end of the call, making him a little uncomfortable.

 

"The pills doesn't work against the nightmares. But wine does, and it makes me sleep better. I'm already fast asleep whenever Aunt Kara comes home so I don't think she'll notice. No need to worry, I'm trying to be responsible in my own way. A sip is just a sip, I promise." He added.

 

 _"She can count bottles, darling, but if you say so. And I know you're doing your best, so okay, let's just go with that."_  Lena swallowed but felt a little guilty for the smile that was spreading across her face. _"You sure you don't want a new plush toy?"_

 

"Leo is buried deep somewhere underneath one of those boxes. And hello? I'm already in highschool!"

 

 _"He's probably crying his heart out in the dark and wondering "Oh, I'm dirty and I stink and Elly doesn't want to cuddle with me anymore!"_ Lena replied while fake sobbing, and was relieved to hear him laugh softly.  _"So umm, listen...guess who's in town today?"_

 

Elly can hear the smile on her lips as she uttered those words and his face lights up in an instant. "You're here?!?" He asked with his voice hopeful and full of excitement, suddenly finding himself scanning the line-up of cars queued on the pickup lane for a familiar car.

 

 _"And for the next three weeks."_ Lena said casually.

 

"Really?!?" Elly gasps, almost yelling over the phone, not believing that his coolest aunt will be in town for almost a month. Now, it's a great day already.

 

 _"But wait, there's more!"_ Lena's voice stayed soft but more cheerful, as she tries to lighten up his mood.

 

"What? Wait, what?!? Oh, d-don't tell me you're..." Elly stuttered as his eyes went wide and his heart already racing in excitement, but not letting his hopes too high altogether. His neck stretched like a giraffe's, to scan the incoming vehicles as far as his eyes could see. "Are you picking me up today?"

 

 _"Oh, my dear Elly..."_ Lena's voice trailed off. _"…no."_ She says apologetically.

 

"Oh." Elly's mood seemed to have sagged but just by a little. "That's okay. But hey, you're in town?!?!"

 

 _"Wait, where are you? Are you still in school right now?"_ Lena asks.

 

"Umm...yeah, I'm kind of waiting for my ride home, actually. Did Uncle J mentioned this? The whole fam's taking turns to pick me up after school because I'm grounded. And oh, there's supposed to be a free counseling session included, but I don't know who's turn it is today." Elly sounded a little gloomy again, letting out another deep sigh to convince himself that he shouldn't expect for too much in one day. He reminded himself again that he was grounded.

 

 _"He did. But tell me, has everyone been cruel enough to you so far?"_ Lena asked with her lips curled into a smirk that Elly can hear, in which the young Danvers smiled to, also in appreciation of his godmother's effort to call.

 

"Cruel enough? Hah!" Elly had to chuckle. "Uh, no, they've been nothing but nice, actually. Pops was the first one to counsel me and you know about his words of wisdom? Powerful, right? Uncle J picked me up for the second session yesterday, said he does understand why I did it, and encouraged me to talk about it, to him or to any of them, and that they'd all be happy to listen whenever I'm ready and willing…"

 

 _"That is good to hear, coming from you."_ There was a short pause, as if they both ran out of words.

 

"I felt like I was being interrogated."

 

There was a pause. His eyes wandered on the group of kids by the curb, waiting for their ride home. A spinning basketball suddenly caught his eye from a distance, and the guy holding it stopped it to let out a loud chuckle, then continued to spin the ball again on his index finger. Elly recognise him by his face, but doesn’t know his name yet. He was one of the popular kids in school, huddled together with what looked like half of the men's basketball team.

 

"But I'm really glad you called, Aunt Lena. This means a lot to me. I miss you." Elly said with a weak smile, telling himself that it's still a good day anyway. "So when can I see you?"

 

 _"Aww, I miss you too, darling. But this queue is unbelievably long and slow."_ Lena replied.

 

"What?"

 

Elly was puzzled yet subconsciously scanning the car queue again, staying only a little bit hopeful, but suddenly felt somewhat disappointed when he saw something that he's been expecting not to see. He had to lower his glasses, squeeze his eyes shut and lift them back up a couple of times to make sure he wasn't just imagining things.

 

"Oh, no. Aunt Lena..." He whispered his dismay on the phone. Or was that a hint of embarrassment, perhaps?

 

 _"Why? What is it?"_ Lena lied, the signature Luthor smirk not leaving her lips and as if it has a certain ooze that can make its way inside her phone, to the cell sites, up the telecom satellites, and back down to Elly's phone, then out of its earpiece, through his eardrums and up to his brain for him to see. As it turns out, she had been driving the whole time that she was talking on the phone with Elly.

 

"Oh, my...dear lord. You're pulling over, aren't you? That's you in a..." Elly slowly took a deep breath, still sitting by the school entrance and almost curled up in a ball, probably in shame. His eyes made a quick scan of how dense the school grounds is at the moment when a metallic blue and black Bugatti slowly pulled over the pickup lane right in front of him, making heads turn to its direction.

 

A lot of kids started gushing over, pointing their phones to take pictures and videos of one of the most expensive cars in the world. Some girls, but mostly guys, were stirred that they started to flock around it to take a closer look. Elly shudders along with the sound of footsteps and the car's scandalous engine as it made more heads turn when its windows rolled down to reveal the mystery driver. It was none other than an evil-smirking Lena Luthor of L-Corp, whom by the way, is just the most powerful woman in National City today. She aged gracefully, though just a little, yet, not as much as her real age but remained as stunning as ever. She had her oversized sunglasses on and blinding studded pearl earrings, silky deep green sleeveless top having her defined clavicles exposed. Her hair was up in a neat classic French twist and her lips in signature cherry-red hue as she comfortably sits behind the steering wheel, looking intently at his very direction.

 

_Dammit._

 

"Congratulations, troublemaker! Get in!"

 

* * *

 

"James! You talked to her? What'd she say?"

 

An anxious looking Kara bursts through the editor-in-chief's office, her blonde hair trailing behind in a neat ponytail. The pen in her hand suddenly snapped in two as he reached his desk and she just looked at it with a shrug.

 

"Of course I did!" James offered her a small trash bin to get rid of the evidence. "And guess what? She's picking up Elly from school today." A wide smile spreads across his face, feeling proud of being the first one to give her the good news for the day.

 

"Oh, thank Rao!" Kara takes an incredibly deep sigh of relief, almost blowing the papers off of James' desk. "Oh, sorry." She snickered lightheartedly.

 

James felt just as relieved to see how the weight on Kara's shoulder has finally been lifted. He shook his head and gestured for her to sit down, knowing too well that she can now be kept in one place.

 

"I dropped by her office earlier. She mentioned a big merger proposal from Dubai so she'll be in town for three weeks." He explained as he rearranged the papers on his desk and held a hand up to Kara when she attempted to help him.

 

The blonde reporter nodded as she listened. "Well, that's good news. This is where her legacy started, anyway."

 

"You could've just called her yourself, you know." James mumbled, throwing her a quick glare.

 

"I know. But I've just been so busy, and I also know that she's..." She trailed off as she adjusts her eyeglasses.

 

"Kara." James looked at her in the eye. "She's been waiting for you to call."

 

Kara just sighed.

 

James can't help but look at her with such concern, fully aware that they had been dealing again with this huge elephant in the room for the past four months. It used to be way smaller, though, going around unchecked for the last ten years.

 

"I'm just glad she's here."

 

"Elly is gonna be okay, Kara. He's smart and strong. Just like you."

 

"Well, just like what Alex always says, he's...he's a Danvers." Kara almost choked on her own words at the mention of her sister's name. Her lips suddenly trembled and tears came rolling down her cheeks without warning. "Dammit."

 

"It's okay, Kara. It's me. You don't have to keep this to yourself, you know that, right?" James said sincerely while Kara tried to smile weakly in return.

 

* * *

 

 

"Congratulations, troublemaker! Get in!"

 

Elly heard Lena yell from inside the car and on the phone that was still pressed over his ear, including the faint giggles from the crowd right before it got drowned by the car's monstrous hum. It echoed all throughout the school pavement and the faded white walls of its building, making the mere act of swallowing a bit harder for him.

 

Though he was undeniably ecstatic to see her Aunt Lena unexpectedly again, it's being seen with her snazzy things that makes him uncomfortable. He kept his head low and even hesitated for a second if he's going in or just gonna walk away, but also fully knowing, that this is just one of Alex's idea of tough love that had contaminated his godmother's elegance when it comes to him. And so he realized that the sooner they get out of here, the better. _Dammit._ Elly was about to stand up when he heard a guy yell from a distance.

 

"Baby Luthor! Your ride is here!" The guy teased with a hand cupped over to his mouth towards Elly, followed with some cheering and whistles from the crowd.

 

"Dammit." Elly utters under his breath, his cheeks turning red. Of course, they knew it was him.

 

Lena chuckled when she heard Elly's whisper over the phone. She actually thinks that the new nickname is cute and not to mention how it suits him perfectly well. _Baby Luthor._ She repeated over and over in her mind, her smirk not changing.

 

By the sound of their voices, Elly knew that, that guy was one of the seniors from the men's basketball team who were huddled by the curb, calling him as such, perhaps after recognizing who the lovely driver was. And to make matters even worse, Lena revs up the engine, making a formidable roar on purpose, as if to satisfy those who are giving the car some downright attention and also telling Elly to hurry up.

 

Being in his place, this must've been one of the coolest, priceless moments, any teenage boy in this school, or this whole city could have, but not for him. Not for Elly. Not when half of the entire school is giving him the unnecessary attention that he doesn't even want or deserve. It's actually one of his pet peeves that his Aunt Lena is very well-aware of. It's a relief enough that the entrance was no longer as packed as it was ten minutes ago. But just like what he reminded himself earlier, today wasn't a usual day.

 

Good thing, he was wearing a hooded shirt to conceal his blushing face with. And in a split second, he pulled his hood over his top knot, hung his backpack over his shoulder, and quickly strides as if flying down from the steps of the main entrance and speeding past the curious onlookers. He gently pulled the massive door, slid himself easily inside its small opening, and closed it shut with a soft thud.

 

Inside the car, Lena just lovingly gazed at him, her sunglasses resting just above her forehead. She looked excited and happy enough to see him but her sheepish grin looked as if she was waiting for him to say something nice or even a quick whine. Elly, on the other hand, was still flustered with uneasiness on the black and gray velvet seat while phone cameras flocked around them. He hugged his backpack and shifted on his seat, only turning his eyes on her when he noticed they weren't moving.

 

"Can we please go now?" Elly somewhat pleaded with discomfort when their eyes met, only noticing then how astonishing his godmother looked today. She was also wearing a silky deep green pencil skirt, more likely one of those intimidating power dresses with matching stilettos she has that screamed: _I Am Lena Fucking Luthor!_

 

"Why, are you in such a hurry, Baby Luthor? Aren't you supposed to give Mama Luthor something, like, a kiss or a hug first?" She teased him longingly with her signature smirk while the kids that overheard her sniggered again.

 

"Sorry." Elly can't help but chuckle at the nicknames and pulled his hood back down with his cheeks still flushed. The young Danvers sighed but obliged anyway, giving Lena a tight, lingering hug to fill his lungs of her enchanting soft vanilla scent with, and a sincere kiss on the cheek that the lady Luthor gladly returned, by planting a soft loud smooch on his sweat dampened temple, that somehow made him feel a lot better and at ease. There was a loud "aww" from the crowd, some more teasing and cheering that they both heard, but didn't paid much attention to.

 

"Buckle up." Lena snapped as she lowered her sunnies back in place and beamed with triumph for pulling off the whole stunt so smoothly. She had promised herself that starting today, Elly's life will change for the better. And so it will. Checking on the side mirrors before rolling the windows back up, she asks. "How's school?"

 

"Meh. Just the usual. I already finished most of my homework during the break, so...I'm all yours." Elly replied.

 

 

For thirteen-year-old Elly, to be picked up by an outrageously expensive car for the entire school to see is quite embarrassing. But exchanging hugs and smooches with his mom, or his aunts and uncles in public doesn't even bother him for the mere reason that it seemed to be the most natural thing in the world for him. Yup! He is weird like that.

 

_"That was his mom on TV a few months ago, right? Danvers?"_

 

_"Single mom? And right on his birthday? Jeez, I'd probably do more than skip classes if I were him."_

 

_"That's understandable. He's too smart to fail his classes anyway."_

 

_"Yeah. Heard he was adopted, poor kid. Good thing they're friends with the decent Luthor."_

 

_"Friends? I thought they were his lesbian moms? That would've been so cool."_

 

_"I heard his reporter aunt even grounded him for a month at that rate. Lucky kid, you mean."_

 

Those were only a few of the chattering that Elly hears on a daily basis. At his school, the supermarket or basically almost anywhere in this city since the Rad Squad’s attack on the DEO was televised real-time. He hated the sudden flow of attention after that, that didn’t seem to have subsided even after he got back from a few weeks stay in Metropolis. He pretty much preferred being alone most of the time.

 

It wasn't easy at first, but now, he's slowly getting used to the attention after finding out that some of these people actually feels sorry for what happened to him, giving him random pats on the back that sometimes lowkey freaks him out, and some even admires him more for being that strong at his age.

 

* * *

 

"Really? Oh, wow! Now someone's ready for counseling!" Lena blurs his thoughts with her smirk and an arched eyebrow as the car started to drove out of the pickup lane. Some kids retreated to give way while some even followed as the car drove away.

 

Elly had to silently laugh-cry-laugh in disbelief of how ridiculous that moment was. "Why is Lady Scotch being so cruel to me today?" He pleasantly bantered, as he took a deep breath and smiled at Lena anyway, already looking forward to the last remaining hours of the day.

 

"You still love me?" Lena suddenly asks, the evil grin still plastered on her face when they reached the main road, turning on the direction out of the city.

 

"You're being too extra sometimes, you know?"

 

"Too extra that it's embarrassing?" Lena casually added, but obviously trying hard not to laugh.

 

Elly just sighed and shook his head. "If only you're not the coolest aunt I have..."

 

"And I have that reputation to keep."

 

"But that back there was an absolute overkill!" Elly whined.

 

"C'mon, you're a celebrity now! Those kids ever bothered you?"

 

"Ugh, no. Not really, I just...it's making me uncomfortable."

 

"I still can't believe they flashed your handsome face on TV! But believe me, it gets better. Or maybe you'll even get used to it?" Lena teased.

 

"And a day will come that I could finally say that I looove being the center of attention. UGH!" He whined playfully, trying to sound a little over melodramatic.

 

"As the saying goes, if you can't beat them? Join them!" Lena chuckled.

 

"Wow! Well, that's encouraging!"

 

"You're not like the other kids, darling. You'll get through this, I know it."

 

"I know. I'm a Danvers." He said softly as he stared outside the window, watching parked cars and trees and lamp posts as they drove past, looking at people by the sidewalks to distract himself with.

 

 _And a Luthor_. Lena whispered in her thoughts as silence suddenly filled the car and as they drove towards the freeway. But absentmindedly, unknowingly and almost identically, they both pulled the signature Luthor smirk.

 

"You didn't answer my question, Lincoln Eddard. Do you still love your Aunt Lena?" Lena softly asks, breaking the silence in a soft but more serious, authoritative tone.

 

Elly hadn't heard that tone in a long time and never in his life did he ever heard her call him by that name. EVER. He gulped. Was he in trouble?

 

"Yes, ma'am!" Elly mumbled to himself, remembering the first time she heard Lena used that tone with the school bully from fourth grade.

 

“Come again?”


	17. Lena's Genes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elly spends the rest of the evening with Lena. And her new assistant.

 

 

"You didn't answer my question, Lincoln Eddard. Do you still love me?" Lena softly asks, breaking the silence in a soft but more serious, authoritative tone. 

 

Elly hadn't heard that tone in a long time and never in his life did he ever heard her call him by that name, EVER. He gulped. Was he in trouble?

 

"Yes, ma'am." Elly mumbled to himself, remembering the first time she heard Lena use that tone with the school bully from fourth grade.

 

He simply described that specific tone as The Spell. It's when Lena's voice becomes cold and deep and demanding, yet sounding so soft and endearing. When you hear it, her every word becomes the truth, the law, and the only thing that you know. Like she was casting an incantation and there is nothing else to do but obey, as if Lena Luthor puts the LL in spell.

 

"Come again?" Lena softly demanded, not quite making out what Elly just said.

 

"Yes, ma'am." He seriously said and a tad louder.

 

Lena had to suddenly step on the breaks after hearing how Elly responded, earning them a furious honk from the vehicle behind them. She raised her sunnies up and looked at her passenger with a somewhat pained expression on her face while the teenage boy looked back at her, a little surprised himself.

 

"Wha-? Elly?!" She softly said as she stepped on the gas again. "Elly darling, we are not like that. No, we don't do that at all." Lena kept throwing side glances at him, a little taken aback and deeply worried. 

 

"You've never called me that before." 

 

"Okay, I'm sorry, Elly. I didn't mean to upset you. I just want to know if you still..."

 

"I still love you, okay?"

 

"You mean it? Promise?"

 

"Even after that overkill back there? Of course, I do! You know I do, always!" Elly started moping a little. "And I mean it."

 

"I'm sorry, okay? I only wanted to hear you say it, darling. That's all."

 

Elly sighed and nodded.

 

"I just...I like hearing it from you, because I...I never had this when I was your age." Lena pointed to the both of them and Elly understood right away what that meant. "And I want you to know that I love you too, and I mean it." 

 

"I know that." He said softly as he stared outside the window, watching parked cars and trees and lamp posts as they pass and the people walking by the sidewalks to distract himself. Turning to her, he smiled weakly. "Because you wouldn't be here if you didn't." 

 

Those words made Lena's heart dance inside her chest and she let it. But sometimes, skepticism hits her hard, wondering what if all this was just a dream that'll be gone the moment she wakes up. She was so scared of losing, and therefore, also having something like this that felt too good to be true. But she knows she wants it and she loves it; every bit of it. If only Elly knew what and how much those words meant to her, if and only if...but he doesn't. And yet, it's still as good as a thick warm blanket wrapped around, hugging her heart. It felt so warm that she can even feel her eyes starting to burn. Good thing, she had her sunglasses on.

 

"I've missed you, Lady Scotch." Elly uttered to the window before turning to her and Lena replied with a soft smile.

 

"I've missed you too...baby Luthor." Lena smirked.

 

"Ugh! You like that, don't you?" Elly snorted.

 

"Oh, was it too obvious? Nooo." They both snorted at that. And then there was silence again.

 

"I miss her." Elly suddenly says.

 

Lena paused to take a deep breath. "Me too."

 

She let her answer ring through the silence, not really knowing what to say next. Her thoughts started racing again as anxiety starts to crawl under her skin. It’s been like that since Alex’s letter arrived on her desk a few days ago. And underneath the cool aunt stunt, the power dress and the flashy car, truth be told, she was scared. She hides behind these so-called pillars because she wasn't sure if she'll ever be good at this.

 

"Sick ride, by the way. Where we going?" Elly suddenly asks.

 

"Oh, you think so? I'll have to drop this baby back to its owner first. I was in a meeting and I just sneaked out during our short break to take it for a spin. I'll try to wrap up the meeting in an hour then I'm all yours, is that ok?" Although starting with something small, Lena just felt oddly comfortable talking to Elly like this.

 

"Oh, okay. Let me guess, a potential investor in your meeting was trying to impress you, like, waving his car keys all over your face, and you, being the intimidating big boss lady that you are, wanted to see if he will actually trust you? With his car?" Elly rambled, wandering his eyes around the dashboard and through the details of the interiors that he found pretty impressive.

 

Lena had to snicker at the accuracy. "Almost accurate except for one thing, a potential merger, actually."

 

"Woah! Really?"

 

"Yes. Well, they won't stop yaddling about the speed, its self-driving features, so..."

 

"How was it?" Elly curiously asked.

 

"You wanna find out?"

 

"I bet you can even make this thing self-fly in a few years." Elly suddenly blurts out, catching Lena by surprise as they reached the freeway.

 

The boy's compliment made Lena blush, feeling a soft fluttering has started inside her belly. She checks the side mirrors again only to find the freeway almost empty. "So, you've heard about my self-flying jet?" She asked.

 

"Aunt Kara was so amazed at how it cleans itself and make its own coffee. She won't stop talking about it once she started." Elly smiled as he shook his head.

 

Lena can't help but smile as the fluttering gets a little faster. She slowly stepped on the pedal and speeds past the other vehicles until the dial reads a little over 400. They only slowed down before the next exit, which they reached in just about a couple of minutes. "Well, I bet  _ you _ can make this thing self-fly in a few years." Lena countered and gave Elly sideway glances to see his reaction. 

 

The youngest Danvers was frozen on his seat from the speed, his eyes wide and an exhilarated grin still plastered upon his face as he looks on ahead of the road while the Bugatti steered itself back to the busy city streets. Lena nodded with a smile, somewhat pleased with the car's performance. 

 

"James also told me about your drones. He was quite impressed with how you fly them." Lena started.

 

A wide sunny smile spreads across Elly's face at the thought that Lena had finally heard about his drones. "Yeah, he lent me some good action cameras and asked me to cover a sports event once."

 

"Really? That's good! I'll ask James for the raw footage, though. I wanna see it!" There was a clear raise of excitement in Lena's voice, as they approached the L-Corp tower and the entrance to its basement parking.

 

"I'll try to send you one tonight. Oh wait, I think I have some old test clips here on my phone." Elly scrambled for his cellphone as the Bugatti parks itself carefully before coming to a halt. It purred while they stayed inside the car for a while as he held his phone up, showing her the video clips that he was talking about.

 

Lena seemed pretty impressed herself with what she was seeing. At first, it was just the view of the open field at Krypton Park from the drone taking off. Then suddenly, the camera view started to flip and roll over the trees, flying back and forth under the monkey bars, the slide and between the chains of the swing. It even made her flinch a little, causing Elly to smirk, when the drone flew in between the branches of a tree, flawlessly making a half sideway spin out and around it, even passing through the beam ceiling of the covered area where the picnic tables are, gliding over and passing by surprised heads of a few onlookers there. 

 

She thought the clip was about to end when it returned out into the open, the camera zooming in on Elly with a handheld controller and his phone mounted on top of it. But she froze when the video clip suddenly multiplied into four, now all showing Alex standing on the grassy patch of the park in different angles, clearly surrounded by the drones while they slowly and steadily orbit around her. Lena got something in her eye when the cameras moved in synch, zooming in and out of Alex's giggling face as she turned hear head around beaming with such pride at the cameras, one after the other. Lena had to squint to make the best out of what she can see from the six inches screen without even noticing that she had snatched Elly's phone. She was holding it with both hands and only a couple of inches away from her face. It almost took her breath away when she caught a tiny glimpse of what the drones looked like; about twice the size of a hummingbird that made smooth and synchronized flips and loops in the air, making her feel a little dizzy as she fell into a trance of what seemed like a kaleidoscope of Alex in Krypton Park.

 

Elly stared contently, feeling his heart dancing around again at how Lena reacts while watching his clips for the first time. Her eyes glimmered with such fascination and enthusiasm. He blushed when she saw her send the clip straight to her email. Though the whole family, especially Alex and Kara had always been so enthralled and proud of him and his accomplishments, everything felt way different when it comes to Lena. No one knew about it, but for some bizarrely strange reason, there had been a constant tugging in his heart that her approval always mattered for as long as he could remember.

 

 

* * *

  
  


A figure outside by the elevators suddenly caught Elly's attention. It was of a tall, tan skinned man in a suit, straightening up his tie and stealing glances at their direction. He was fidgety, pacing back and forth, with a hand in his pocket, pulling it out only to glance at his watch and slide it back in, while his other hand ran along the scratchy beard on his chin, up his side burn, and checking that his dark hair is kept in place. He was also taking in unusual, and a little uncomfortable deep breaths as he paced by the elevators.

 

"I'm impressed. Oh, that's him."

 

Elly was startled with Lena's short but sudden words. When he turned to her, she handed him his phone back and together, they took a few moments to watch the man in his suit and tie. The youngest Danvers had to let out a quiet chuckle, unable to contain his amusement.

 

“This is not the maternity ward, mister.” He mumbled and Lena chuckled.

 

"Ready?" Lena asks with a smirk, glancing at her watch as she killed the engine off. 

 

Elly just nodded and hopped out. They walked towards the elevators together, the L-Corp CEO placing an arm around the boy's shoulder where he hung his backpack one-sided. The man in his suit straightened up and tried to hide his nervousness with a welcoming smile as they approached.

 

"Jim, how was your break?" Lena cheerfully greeted him as she removed her sunglasses while Elly smiled and reached out to press the button on the elevator.

 

"I just went for a smoke, Ms. Luthor." Jim replied in his middle-eastern accent as the elevator doors opened, glancing down at the boy and back to the Luthor lady, like he was somewhat confused.

 

For all she know, he was more than just nervous. He obviously wants to make a move on her of whatever kind maybe, but he didn't really trust her and it made him anxious. Anxious enough not to wait for his precious Bugatti from up the top of this building, where there was natural lighting and fresh open air in the balcony, where he could've smoked his nerves out and chill with a glass of quality whisky, all the while looking over one of the best views in the entire city and rather go all the way here, down the dark, humid, and not to mention, suffocating parking lot in the basement.  _ How can I entrust the future of my employees and my company to someone who can't even trust me with his goddamn toy? _

 

"Lena would be fine." She responded as they entered the lift altogether while Elly pressed the button to the penthouse as if on cue.

 

"Very well, then." Jim slightly shuffled his feet while the boy stood still between him and the stunning woman. He then cleared his throat when the lift started to ascend. "How was your test drive, Lena?" He asks, looking a little nervous but hopeful, still shifting his glances through their reflections in the elevator doors.

 

"Delightful." Lena replied, meeting his eyes. "And oh, Elly here enjoyed it. Didn't you, darling?" The LCorp CEO shortly sniffed on Elly's hair, with her arm still on his shoulder as she dangled the car key in front of him, returning it back to its owner. 

 

"Very much." Elly answered with a nod and a satisfied grin while meeting his gaze, as Jim reached for the key. He noticed how the man smelled of black coffee and something musky.

 

"I left the speed key inside, though. Is that okay?" Lena added.

 

"Oh, that's alright. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Elly." Jim smiled kindly at her, then at the boy. 

 

"By the way, Elly, this is Jim Aljul, CEO of J.A. Technologies in Dubai. Jim, this is Elly Danvers, my godson."

 

"Pleased to meet you, sir. I've heard good things about you and your company." Elly offered his hand and smiled, looking up to the man beside him while Lena watched quietly to their own reflections.

 

"Why, thank you, Elly. How about you? What do you think of the Chiron?" Jim took the boy’s hand and gave it a firm shake. He smiled at him, waiting intently for his response. 

 

"It was by far the fastest car I've been in going 400 on the freeway. That was one sick car, sir!" Elly politely replied with such contagious enthusiasm, causing the man to blush while Lena noticed the hint of surprise in the man's eyes at the mention of "400" and “freeway”.

 

"And one helluva driver at that." Jim threw an impressed smile at the woman, unable to contain his admiration and just in time as the elevator doors opened.

 

"How are they doing, Kate?" Lena's deep voice echoed through the walls as they approached, startling the lady behind her desk and giving Elly goose bumps on the back of his neck.

 

"They're ready for you, Ms. Luthor. Mr. Aljul?" The CEOs nodded as the new secretary stood up to address them cheerfully. "And you must be Mr. Danvers? Glad to finally meet you." She added, her smile widening at the sight of Elly.

 

"Hello, Kate." Elly smiled back, catching on her name quickly and a little uncomfortable yet unsurprised that she knows him by his last name.

 

"Will you get him something to eat while he waits for me, please? Big Belly Burger and a large berry-banana yogurt smoothie." Lena instructed Kate, knowing exactly what to get as the latter took notes and nodded in response. "And make that two." She added with a smile and turned to Elly. "Forty minutes, tops?"

 

"Take your time." Elly shyly nodded his head while the secretary ushered him inside the office.

 

Lena squeezes a hand on Elly's shoulder and leaves a quick kiss on his temple before letting him go. "Kate? If he wants to see The Legacy Hall, please? Thank you." 

 

"Yes, Ms. Luthor."

 

And with a final nod, Lena went on to the conference room at the end of the hall, while Jim gave Elly a short wave before trailing behind her. Elly entered the office and the cheerful assistant offered the couch.

 

"Feel comfy, Mr. Danvers."

 

"Elly would be fine, please." He sets his backpack on the couch but remained standing.

 

"Okay, Elly. Feel comfortable while I get you something to eat." Kate blushed while she poured water on a tall glass and laid it down the coffee table for him. "I'll be right outside."

 

"Thanks, Kate."

 

The moment she was gone, Elly examined the office. He wasn't able to take a good look around, the last time he was here. He ran a hand on the edge of the white shiny oval desk while admiring the hanging shelves on the opposite wall that was filled with a few books and some handsome trophies. He reads them one by one, readjusting his glasses up his nose as his lucky band hangs around his wrist.

 

“America's Top 20 Corporations. Innovator of the Decade. Hmm...” Elly reads silently as he wondered what it would be like to work here. “The Merck Prize? Who is that? The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Woah! Breakthrough Innovator of the Decade…” He gasped and shook his head in disbelief of what he’s been looking at. "G. Copley Bart…damn, Aunt Lena, how to be you?" He knew that his Aunt Lena was cool, but he didn't know that she was  _ this _ cool. 

 

He hummed to himself as he turned towards the full length glass windows overlooking the city and was smitten by the view, with the sun about to set in an hour or so. He made his way outside the balcony to enjoy the afternoon air while listening to the sound of the rush hour below that had probably begun, as he admired the skies of National City. It has the right amount of every noise from up there, but it was peaceful. He got lost for a moment and decided to go back in when the skies started to turn a golden shade of yellow.

 

He continued with the shelf on the other end of the office by the refreshments. Abstract classy sculptures adorned most of it and a rack at the bottom shelf, just above the file drawers that was filled with magazines and broadsheets all recently issued. There were small glass jars of almonds, pistachios and oatmeal cookies behind a variety of drinking glasses and three crystal decanters. 

 

_ Red, white and scotch. _

 

All that was on top of a mini bar that was the size of a large drawer. And then there were a couple of framed photographs on the shelf above, which he would've probably missed if only his eyes didn't recognize the familiar faces in them. One was a photo of Lena in one of her usual business dresses but barefoot, settled on a matted floor and reading a book to a child. It pulled Elly to look closer after recognizing the place as their old studio apartment and snorted at the sight of himself still wearing diapers as a toddler. The other photo on the other hand, had him fighting against incoming tears. It was of Alex, Kara and Lena, all three of them looking a lot younger, with their arms around each other and smiling happily at the camera. 

 

_ It was probably from one of those game nights from before. _

 

A fat teardrop just rolled down his cheek without permission when there was a sudden knock on the door and Kate reappeared. He quickly wiped his cheek dry with the back of his hand but it was his sniff and his flushed eyes that gave him away.

 

"Oh, I'm sorry." Kate blurted out in surprise as she holds out a large paper bag of Big Belly Burger, making Elly turn in surprise and he just smiled at her weakly. 

 

"It's okay." He met her gaze briefly when he took the warm take out bag from her, and saw the way Kate was staring back at him. She swallowed and stood still with her face apologetic, as if she wanted to say something else to make him feel better.

 

"Have you met her? My ma?" Elly ended up asking as he turned towards Alex's picture while another tear betrays him.

 

"I have met Director Danvers, yes. She had beautiful fiery eyes and she never failed to pay a visit when Ms. Luthor is in town." Kate replied with a reassuring smile, and felt relieved that Elly smiled back at her kind words. 

 

"Did you know that they..." Elly's voice trailed off but the secretary went ahead to finish his question.

 

"That she and Ms. Luthor dated? Of course, I do. They're such a joy to look at and the concern they had for each other was exemplary." Kate answered, looking admiringly at the photographs. 

 

"You think they really loved each other?" Elly asked in wonder, allowing the silence in-between their conversation to pass by with each question.

 

"I think so, yeah." Kate stated, answering his questions as truthful as she can. "But I was pretty sure, they loved you more." 

"You think she's hot?" Elly suddenly asked with a snort, making the secretary chuckle a bit.

 

"Who wouldn't? Even Lena Luthor herself, speaks fondly of your mom and how much of a badass she is." Kate softly replied.

 

"A total badass! They all are." Elly beamed at the photos on the wall.

 

"And so I've heard." Kate nodded in agreement.

 

"They're like…my real moms, you know? All three of them." Elly smiled despite failing to hold back his tears.

 

"Three moms? Wow! You are very lucky!" The secretary sincerely responded.

 

"Yup. I am." Elly beamed with pride and nodded. "Have you met my Aunt Kara, though?" He suddenly asks.

 

"Not yet. But I'm really looking forward to it. I'm a big fan of hers." She answered.

 

"You'll love her for sure."

 

"Definitely!" Kate inferred and then there was silence. "Elly? If there's anything I could do for you, or anything you'd need, as in like, anything at all? Please don't hesitate to let us know. Ms. Luthor, or me?"

 

"Thanks for the offer, Kate. But Aunt Lena have done more than enough for me."

 

"You mean a lot to her, Elly. Our door is always open for you and...I'm really sorry about your mom." The secretary softly said.

 

Elly just nodded at her and smiled weakly as he walked towards the coffee table to put the warm bag of food down.

 

"Umm...do you wanna go somewhere else? Come on, I'll show you around the trophy room." Kate offered.

 

"The food will probably get cold when we get back." Elly politely declined as he peeks inside the bag and started taking out the drinks.

 

"Then bring it with you. I'm sure Ms. Luthor won't mind." Kate insisted. "Besides, her meeting might take a bit longer than forty minutes, so...what do you say?"

 

Elly sighed and hesitated for a bit, but gave in anyway. "Alright, then. I'll just...grab my half and I'll be right out."

 

"Alright!"

 

"Thanks again, Kate."

 

And at that, the secretary smiled and gave him a wink before leaving.

 

 

* * *

 

As anticipated, Lena came back more than an hour later only to find her office empty and half of the take-out food gone. She took out her phone to call her secretary and hums a random song as she stared at the setting sun outside the window while she waits for an answer. "Kate, where is he?"

 

"We're still at the trophy room, Ms. Luthor. He's umm...pretty occupied at the moment, and also, I told him he can bring his food. Would you like us to go back there now?" There was a short pause then Kate broke into a whisper. "He saw the pictures!"

 

“What pict…” Lena looked around her office with scrunched brows and saw what her secretary meant. "Oh, okay. Umm...tell him I'll be right down.” 

 

"Alright, ma'am."

 

"Thank you, Kate." Lena hangs up and snatched the take-out bag from the coffee table, along with the tablet that was sitting on her desk before going out again.

  
  


* * *

 

 

“What’s it like to work here?” 

 

“Umm…it depends maybe where you work here specifically?”

 

“Have you ever met them, Kate?" Elly asks while he stared at the old pictures on the walls.

 

"Oh no, I haven't. And Ms. Luthor barely speaks of them. Sorry."

 

"Ever wondered what they're really like? I mean, in person?"

 

"Umm...well..."

 

"Because Aunt Lena had been the coolest person I know, for as long as I can remember, so..."

 

"So when will I be expecting to see your work, Mr. Danvers?" Lena's voice bounced against the walls of the dim-lit Legacy Hall, along with the tapping sound of her heels. 

 

"Ms. Luthor." Kate greeted and Lena returned it with a nod.

 

Elly whirled around from reading The Luthor Legacy display on the wall. He was holding his smoothie with one hand, his fries and burger squeezed on the other while a large bite danced inside his mouth. Given that his lips were pretty busy at the moment, he smiled at Lena with his eyes instead and offered her some fries. She casually took one, despite having her own inside the paper bag that she was carrying.

 

"Kate, you can finish up and go. I'll take it from here." Lena turned to her secretary before munching on the fry.

 

"Of course. I'll umm...I'll just email you your schedule for tomorrow, and then leave a copy on your desk as well before I leave."

 

"That'd be perfect. Thank you so much, Kate. Great job today." The CEO nodded and smiled at her secretary.

 

"Elly? Till next time?"

 

"Yesh! Shanks, Kate! Be shafe!" Elly answered with his mouth still half-stuffed.

 

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ms. Luthor." Kate makes her leave after her boss nodded.

 

"You were saying? About the drones?" Lena continued once they were out of earshot and after Elly had swallowed all the food in his mouth.

 

"Errm...maybe someday?" Elly turned and kept looking at an old trophy case.

 

"Was it for a school project?" She asked curiously while settling down on the nearest resting bench to eat, and knowing fully well that Elly was also one of the most promising members of the STEM Club in his middle school.

 

"Nah. It was just something I wanted to try." Elly followed her and sets his own food down the bench while he sits down on the cold floor with his legs crossed. "Actually it started from the first drone you gave me for my birthday a few years back."

 

"When you were ten? Really?!?" Lena was actually impressed and surprised while she unwraps her Big Belly Burger and started to eat.

 

"Yeah. Mama kinda lost it when she found out I broke it apart just a few weeks after. So I tried making another one, and realized I liked it. Then I made a few more after that." He said as he emptied the rest of the french fries down his mouth.

 

"Now I can't wait! Bring them over, I wanna see them for myself!" She exclaimed, unashamed of the echoes bouncing back, and her own excitement that’s starting to kill her.

 

"Umm..."

 

"Oh, come on, baby Luthor. Its Mama Luthor you're talking to! I want to see your work!" Lena offered him her barely warm french fries and had to bite her lower lip to hide a snicker, though her smile was gentle and her eyes sparkled of sudden interest.

 

"Oh, no! Please, enough with the nicknames!" Elly whined a bit, mimicking a robotic voice and placing a palm on his forehead.

 

Lena freed a short laugh. "Which one would you prefer, new nicknames? Or...hmm...I'll show you mine, only if you show me yours?" She teased, showing a blueprint of the Kryptonite Shield she made for Supergirl from the large screen of her tablet.

 

Elly's eyes went wide in excitement, but he knew it was a trap. Feeling so attacked, he had to let out a sigh of disbelief and hung his head low in defeat. But he was smiling. Of course, he wanted to see Lena’s work too. Who in the whole world wouldn't want to? He took a loud slurp from his almost empty smoothie, loud enough for it to echo throughout the hall.

 

"Okay, let me inspire you a little. Here, take a look." Lena swipes on her tablet with her clean pinkie to show Elly a few other blueprints of her work. "In exchange for your demo." She hands him her tablet, but pulls it back again even before he could get his hand on it, as if hesitating, leaving him with nothing in his grip but thin air. 

 

Elly makes a pissed-off duck face and snorts at himself.

 

"Hey, you have to be serious. These aren't just some drafts or rejects I'm showing you. These -- are strictly confidential." She finally handed Elly the tablet without hesitating, whom, in the other hand took it very slowly and with such careful pair of hands.

 

"The real deal. Top secret. The futuuuure." Elly whispered with a serious face, lingering on the last syllable of  _ future _ until he ran out of breath. "I know. Do I need to sign any NDAs?" He wiped his hands first with a clean napkin before browsing on the blueprints. His eyes started twinkling again with such enthusiasm, a heartfelt  _ woah _ or  _ wow _ escaping his mouth in every swipe and zoom in.

 

"Do you want to? Because we take confidentiality very seriously here. Or I could just lock you up in a vault here somewhere myself, you know? And no one will ever find you." The CEO casually says before taking a long sip from her own smoothie. 

 

"Ooooohohoho....now that is definitely, seriously scary! Are you gonna tell me where you buried the bodies, next?" Elly playfully winks at her.

 

Lena chuckled at those words and became serious again. "I'm afraid not. Not yet. But soon, perhaps." She squinted then snorted. "Oh, but seriously, darling, I really have to make you sign before you leave."

 

From the comfort of his sitting position on the floor, Elly paused as he looked carefully up at Lena, who softly held his gaze in return and just nodded with her eyebrows without even flinching or blinking while she takes a bite out of her Big Belly Burger. 

 

_ Is this how she works? _ He wondered, admiring Lena more.  _ Is this how she made this company to become what it is right now? Because if that is the case, then she is definitely being a serious badass, as if this was the most natural thing in the world. Can she be any cooler? _

 

But Elly’s thoughts was interrupted by the truth. The truth that he haven't touched nor seen those drones he made since his last birthday because they have remained tucked away, untouched and probably in a sealed box somewhere in their new apartment. He didn't care if it had been misplaced, accumulating moist and rust or whatever. He didn't even have the energy to go through his old stuffs yet. But something suddenly swelled up inside his chest in excitement. Something that he's starting to look forward to, creating new images, of scenes, of possibilities; countless of them running inside his head. Something that could or would mean something bigger, better, more real. And it's not just some triggered curiosity, or a hobby or a school project.

 

"Okay." He finally replied.

 

Lena squealed with joy in her head, but just smiled back at him and takes off her shoes with her burger-free hand; a greasy thumb and pointer finger up and not touching the shiny leather. She slid down onto the cold floor, right beside Elly to explain the blueprints further and answer the most curious or even the silliest of his questions. They joked around and laughed, flattered, and teased, and impressed each other with their inborn brilliance that subconsciously recognized each other while they both ate their Big Belly Burger. 

 

She looked at him longingly, stealing little glances and taking in every inch of him and his features. How he seemed to have grown up too fast, cracking his jokes no matter how corny, and pulls up funny faces in the most random, unnecessary moments. The sound of his laugh and how contagious it was when it echoes, or the way his lashes curled over his blue-green eyes that were bluer under the dim light, and the way it glimmers with such interest and enthusiasm, exposing little traces of Kara when they crinkle on the sides, and also between his eyebrows and along the bridge of his nose, or with every playful frown and grin and his oh-so-sunny smile that never fails to take her breath away. 

 

And about his long brown hair up in a not-so-messy top knot, revealing his chaotic hairline and the shape of his face that would have given away his real lineage, if not only for his dorky glasses that he kept pushing up with his ring and middle finger when it slides down a little. Of the way he speaks like gentle swirls in a body of water, creating an inescapable following in order and unstoppable ripples, causing sparks of the most commonly unusual of ideas and moments of eureka, along with his craftiness, discreetly concealed out in the open, just sitting, patiently waiting to be uncovered and to be seen. And how in every drop of the tone in his voice whenever he injects his dark, sometimes even self-deprecating humor that was all over the place, or the raise of an eyebrow when he winks and the very way he curled his lips into the tiniest, familiar smirk; Lena Luthor sees the slightest, most crystalline imprint of herself that makes her shudder underneath her very skin, every single time. 

 

If only she was careless and clumsy or impulsive enough, he would've had the slightest idea of what she knows and what he didn't. Good thing she wasn't. Because after years and years of hiding, of keeping, of playing and being in this game that she herself had created, she’s a walking, living proof that practice makes -- and in this case, already made -- perfect.

 

Little did they know, Supergirl had been hovering above the L-Corp building for the last couple of hours, listening and watching over them from a safe distance. And for once, she can finally breathe freely, more than relieved that Elly is finally opening himself up to his family. It may not be with Kara, or James, or J’onn, then at least with Lena, which is just as good and almost the same.

  
  



	18. EPILOGUE: Curse Of The Luthor Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lillian broke out of prison and pays Lena a visit.
> 
> Confirmed: Lena Luthor is a closeted gay mess (and a few more reveals that I actually asked for).
> 
> ***SEE YOU NEXT SERIE***  
> Agent Drift: Untold

  
  


"You really do have a thing for surprises, don't you, mother? Though it never really worked on me." Lena said in her casual tone without even looking up from her desk when a tall woman in a brown trench coat suddenly entered her L-Corp office in National City.

 

"Not happy to see me?" It seemed like Lillian was just taking a walk in the park and happened to pass by the L-Corp building. She came to a halt in front of the white oval desk with a wide smile on her face, staring at Lena like she was so happy to see her daughter.

 

"Why? Did you brought some pudding for me? I heard that the ones from the inside were better." Lena kept on scribbling something on her notepad as she appeared to be comparing results from her laptop to a tablet she was holding. “No? Oh, right…you only pay me a visit when you want something from me.”

 

"Hmm. I must admit that I missed being reminded of how much you knew me so well." Lillian beamed. "I don't want to take too much of your precious time so I'll cut to the chase. I'm here to ask you nicely about something that belonged to me and I want it back."

 

Lena's brows furrowed with head still buried in her work and quite not getting the purpose of Lillian's visit. "How unusual for you to think that I have this... _ thing _ …whatever it is, that you happen to lose while you were in prison?" She raised a narky eyebrow. "What do you really want, mother?"

 

"You do know what I'm talking about."

 

Without hiding her annoyance from her unexpected visitor, Lena’s face relaxed as she let out a deep sigh. "Oh, a pop quiz! I almost forgot that we have this family tradition of trivial guessing games in each of our reunions." She kept on working with clear disinterest in her mother’s whereabouts.

 

"Cadmus 14." Lillian flatly stated.

 

Lena chuckled and didn't even paused or spared a glance at her. "And what do I have to do with your failed experiments?"

 

"The boy inside that pod?" Lillian asked squinting, as if reminding Lena of something they both knew.

 

Lena finally looked up, her brows furrowed again as if confused and let the fountain pen she was holding rest on her chin. Her light-green eyes cold as ice staring straight to her mother's, while trying her best to conceal the mix of fear and fury that's been burning up inside her stomach since Lillian came through those doors. 

 

“Rang a bell, didn’t it?” Her mother smirked softly.

 

"Oh come on, mother. You know how I feel about wasting time and resources on failed experiments." She stood up from her desk and poured herself a glass of red wine from her refreshments.

 

"Failed? I was on the verge of a breakthrough when you took it from me." Lillian's tone was firm and mellow as if she was so sure of what she was talking about. But underneath her Luthor smirk, unbeknownst to Lena, she's just as infuriated.

 

"Took it? Those were L-Corp resources that you used behind my back. And for your information,  _ your _ test subjects failed." She returned and sat on her chair while taking a sip from her wine and continued working. "All of them."

 

"He didn't seem like a failure to me in the 6pm news last night when he saved that blonde Kryptonian’s ass." The old lady Luthor swallowed and waited for her daughter's reaction, the confident smirk on her thin lips unwavering.

 

Lena sighed, shaking her head. "I still have no idea what you're talking about." She lied convincingly, underneath the well-rehearsed denial and poker-faced act, she knew she's already in big trouble. And so does Agent Drift.

 

Lillian just stared back at her with the same cold eyes, waiting.

 

"And I've seen the news too, it was another blonde teenage girl who saved her, wasn't it?" Lena tried to keep on working but she actually can't anymore because her focus got lost at the mention of "he". She casually took another sip from her cup to calm her nerves before doodling random words on her notepad.

 

"Oh, please. I know an L-Corp tech when I see one. That gray and red suit? And I’m impressed how you kept upgrading your Image Inducer." 

 

Lena pretended to gasp in surprise. "Oh, really? That's so sweet of you to notice my work, mother. But you're still barking up the wrong tree." She braced herself knowing Lillian too well and how the old lady would never show up unless she has more than one set of trump cards in her hands.

 

"You know what we Luthors do...we'd do anything in our power to take back what belongs to us."

 

Lena furrowed her eyebrows and paused for a moment like she was still confused. "And what does that supposed to mean?" 

 

"Well..." Lillian clicked her tongue and took another step closer towards the desk, eyes focused on Lena. "…I know he's a Danvers."

 

Lena froze and shot her fiercest, coldest look at the woman in front of her who just stood there, smiling mockingly back at her. 

 

"Hand him over while I'm asking nicely." Lillian continued.

 

"Don't you dare touch him..." Lena muttered in gritted teeth. 

 

"Lex wants him back."

 

Lena had to let out a short laugh at that. "Well, good to know that my sociopathic brother is still alive and out there." She didn't seem so surprised at that revelation but her heart started racing, nevertheless. “I feel much safer now.”

 

"I am gonna get my hands on that boy..." 

 

"He doesn't belong to you or Lex! All your subjects had failed! What part of it do you not understand?" Lena was still calm but the tone of her voice started to rise. She didn't notice how tightly she was gripping her pen until it made a creaking sound in her hand that only she was able to hear.

 

"...whether you like it or not..." Her mother continued in a painfully slow manner.

 

Panic started to crawl under Lena’s skin. "You can't just burst in here and threaten me to take things that aren't really yours to..."

 

"...one way or another. Don't say I didn't warned..." 

 

" **HE'S MINE!!!** " 

 

Lena's voiced boomed inside the walls of her office as she slammed a balled fist on her desk and stood up breathing heavily, silencing her mother. Lena's eyes grew sharp, burning like a glowing iron sword fresh from the furnace, more furious now than the first time someone tried to take Elly away from her. She just knew it in her soul that it was Lillian's doing.  _ You're not taking him away from me again! _ Lena thought to herself.

 

She wanted to scream and demand for Lillian to leave, throw everything that’s on top of the desk at her, and only if she can, the whole damn desk itself. But she can't. She can't do any of that. It's a weakness that she can't ever afford to show her own family or was never even allowed to. Instead, she closed her eyes shut and took a quick, deep breath; quick enough to remind herself every little thing that she had to do just to be where she is right now in Elly's life.  _ Itty bitty boxes. _ She reminded herself.

 

Lillian's smile disappeared. She opened her mouth to speak but Lena cut her off before she could even say anything.

 

"I created him from my own DNA. He belongs to me." Lena managed to say it out loud but more composed this time after a good ten seconds of quickly pulling herself together. She emptied her wine glass with a single gulp and slowly turned towards the glass windows to look out at the sparkling night lights from the skyscrapers of National City. She didn't even realized her eyes were teary until she blinked them dry.

 

Her mother was left speechless, wondering, still standing in silence in the middle of her office.

 

"Do you understand what's going on here now, mother?" She turned to face Lillian with a stern look and her eyes cold again. "Because I came to fully understand every little thing that you've done for Lex all these years. All the risks, all the sacrifices, even the blood stains in your own hands..."

 

"So the daughter thinks she has finally become the mother." Lillian suspiciously looked back and paced slowly like she was trying to solve a puzzle inside her head. It took a few seconds before she finally stopped at the other end of the room right by the flat screen on the wall. "So you did it. You were able to recreate it with alien DNA. And not just any kind, Kryptonian DNA I presume?" Her lips curled into a smile and there was a glint in her eyes when they met Lena’s. “You successfully made a clone of Supergirl."

 

Lena looked away and returned to her chair without saying anything. The last phrase, no matter how true, made her cringe and only realizing then how she hated that word so much. She didn't even had the time to wonder what Lillian’s smile could have meant. But whatever it was, it's definitely not admiration nor congratulatory.

 

"You do have a death wish, don't you? Of all the aliens soiling this planet, you settled to toy with the only species that tore our family apart. Have you forgotten what destroyed their planet? Do you have any idea who that..." Lillian continued but was cut off by Lena's piercing gaze.

 

They both held that gaze for a moment like two swords fighting, clanging, scraping metal to metal where they both seemed to be really good at while they tried to read each other's thoughts. The room fell deafeningly silent. Not even a faint police siren or a single honk from the city below made it to the L-Corp penthouse.

 

"So you knew?" Lillian suddenly asked breaking the ice.

 

Lena just rolled her eyes with a sigh and took her empty wine glass away, shaking her head as she went for another refill.

 

"You knew all along who she is and how she's just as deceitful as..." 

 

"She's a good person, mother. She’s not perfect, but she is more human than the rest of us." Lena cut her off again as the younger Luthor poured herself another glass of Malbec. "Out of all the people on this planet, you must know how true that is."

 

"Call me whatever you like." Lillian responded softly, feeling a bit ridiculed and shook her head. "Preying on the…good hearted...now, that's something a Luthor would do."

 

"Like what you and your son does on a daily basis? No, not this one.” Lena paused to take a gulp of wine before pouring more to her glass. “Kara believes in the good in me, she always have. And I'm not really sorry to disappoint you yet again for being labeled as  _ The Decent Luthor _ because unlike Lex, I have friends." She said it loud and clear as if slapping every word to her mother's face. "And you know what friends does to a Luthor? I started believing that I can do good things too, for a change.  _ Be _ a force for good. You see, they believe in me. That's the last thing any other Luthor would sincerely do." Her face was still as blank and as cold but she can’t help her eyes from searching any kind of emotion from her mother at that fact. She fought it, along with a deep sigh and blinked them away.

 

"You'd rather side with these aliens rather than your own kind and your own blood, and have the audacity to call yourself good?" Lillian shook her head in disbelief. "Can you even hear the words that are coming out of your mouth?"

 

"Pathetic? Isn't that what you and your son call me behind my back? Or no, in front of my face, even?" She took her drink and returned to her chair, feeling oddly amused on how these exchange of words make her feel a bit better. "And that blonde Kryptonian that you despise so much? She just happens to be my best friend. Can you blame me for choosing her side? You wouldn’t want to disappoint the people who believes in you, would you, mother?" She shook her head and took another sip from her cup.

 

"Best friend." Lillian repeated as she paced slowly again, letting the last two words ring into the air that faintly smelled of sweet alcohol. "Where have I heard those words before?" She paused to look at Lena carefully. "That girl from Cambridge, no? Definitely not in MIT, because you kept your records clean there." Lillian studied how Lena dodged her gaze and how her hand trembled from holding the glass of wine. "Your days in Caltech, perhaps? Oh, and how could I forget Stanford? That was a messy one." She smirked disappointingly and shook her head again in utter disbelief of her realization. 

 

"So you still remember how you conspired with father to...get rid of them?" Lena can't say it, but knowing the fact that her own parents had them killed on purpose does something unpleasant in her insides. She swallowed uneasily, fighting back another tear away, her heart started beating fast again, giving her a hard time breathing. 

 

"What a horrible thing to say? Accidents, my dear daughter, happens all the time. How many times do I have to tell you?" Lillian scoffed unapologetically, a hint of mockery in her voice as she lay down another set of her trump cards.

 

"You sound exactly just like him and how you always make it seem like doing such unimaginable things just to protect your name is the most natural thing to do." Lena sounded too worn-out to argue any longer as if she almost ran out of emotions. Almost. “It makes me sick.”

 

Old scenes came flashing right in front of Lena’s eyes like a time-lapse. Everything that she kept buried deep inside one of those itty-bitty boxes that she thought she had already lost along the way suddenly exploded like a fireworks display of emotions. All their faces, the places they've been in and the memories they have shared together…her happiest moments and glimpses of stolen bliss after waking up from her most satisfying sleeps, suddenly turning into ashes. 

 

There was a large lump in her throat. Lena took a big gulp from her wine to fight it and not let it show. She doesn't even know how she's handling it. It's like her real self is floating outside of her own body, wanting to escape and be anywhere but here.  _ After all these years, she's bringing this up now? _

 

"So you haven't changed at all, have you?" Lillian asked, snapping her out of her thoughts and bringing her back to the present.

 

Lena didn't answer. She got used to the fact that it was the kind of conversation that was never brought up anywhere nor discussed with basically anyone, not even with the few women she had been with, until Alex. Instead, she took another deep breath and rolled her eyes before turning her swivel chair around to escape with the view from her balcony while swirling the wine around the glass in her hand.

 

"My god, Lena! After all these years?” Lillian paused to let out a loud sigh of disappointment. “And to think that that Jack Spheer had somehow kept you in line?" She eyed Lena from head to toe. "Well, that pesky director got what she deserved."

 

Lena poked a tear from her eyelid with her pinkie, just in time before it was about to fall. There was something heavy inside her chest, a stabbing pain as if half of her heart suddenly became frozen and refused to beat, making it harder for her to breathe, what more to say anything. She took another gulp from her drink as her hands trembled.

 

"Well, this has been quite a reunion." Lillian turned to leave. The silence became awkward enough to make it clear that it's time for her to go. But then, she paused as she was about to open the door. She turned to Lena for the last time, who was still looking out the glass windows, with only the back of the big swivel chair facing her. "You want to redeem yourself to Supergirl as the good Luthor that you think you are by creating another...abomination out of her without her permission?" She then pulled the door open. "Good luck with that." She finished before finally letting herself out.

 

As soon as Lena heard the doors closed, heavy sobs exploded out of her mouth. The heaviness inside her chest suddenly came flowing out of her eyes. She wanted to stop and hold it in, shove it deep inside her itty bitty boxes, but she wasn’t fast enough. She gasped for air and fought harder but the other girl was winning. Lena threw the glass of wine out of frustration, creating small shards that shattered across the floor and leaving a splash of deep red puddle. It was inevitable. So for a few more minutes, in a moment of quiet solitude, she allowed herself to be sucked in by the sudden whirlwind of emotions. But despite the heaving, sobbing and trembling, she managed to get on her feet and head towards the washroom.

 

“You’re such a weakling.” She mumbled at her own reflection from the mirror by the sink. Disappointed, yet accepting the fact that it was still her human, flawed self, staring right back at her. 

 

Countless of times, Lena wondered why she kept allowing herself to be treated like an outsider. She hated moments and confrontations like this and the mere fact of how Lillian always gets to her. It’s sickeningly distasteful how her stepmother always played with her emotions like a big ball of dough, kneading her past, rubbing her own successes, failures and the people she loved and lost against her, only to burn her in the end. Just like her son Lex and how vivid they both are at destroying her resolve as always.

 

But her truth remained the same and the risks at hand are relevant. There are so many things needed to be done and there is no time to waste. She turned the sensor-enabled faucet on and used her hands to splash cold water on her face over and over, until she can’t feel her face anymore. She blew out air from her lips, creating a thin layer of mist against the mirror.

  
  


“Lighthouse logging in. Ross, call Grey.” Lena suddenly blurted out, the second that the door to the Lighthouse control room slid open.

 

The lights inside the dark circular room started coming to life, along with a number of monitor screens lined along the walls. At the center was a wide pedestal, like a small stage, where everything in the room can be seen. 

 

_ “Voice log in, confirmed. Contacting Agent Drift.”  _ A soft automated voice responded out of nowhere and a call notification suddenly came up on the largest screen that got answered right away.

 

"Gray, this is Lighthouse. What's your status?” Lena took a deep breath before swallowing, her eyes focused on a glowing blue blip on the city map in one of the screens.

 

"C-can you come back to base? It's...it's urgent." She stammered, answering to the response from the other end of the line of the communication device embedded in her earrings. "Yes, I’m fine, just...just get here. Please?"

  
  


The night was nearly quiet, if not only for the sound of his own heart beating like a loud bass drum from a marching band. He breathed in the cool air through his mouth as he watched the silent stars sparkle loudly before him. Elly wondered, his mind wandering far as he lay on his back right at the top of the National City Tower.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***SEE YOU NEXT SERIE***  
> Agent Drift: Untold

**Author's Note:**

> How shitty is it? Drop asks and bombs on my Tumblr @littlemallow


End file.
